Technology Helps Recycle Texas Fracking Flowback, Produced Water

More than 245,000 barrels of flowback and produced water from hydraulic fracturing operations across the state of Texas have been treated thanks to new treatment technologies.

The HIPPO mobile water treatment unit from Omni Water Solutions -- which includes both ultrafiltration and DOW FILMTEC Reverse Osmosis (RO) membrane technologies from Dow Water & Process Solutions  (DW&PS), a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company -- is being used by another leading operator in Gonzales County to reduce water hardness and boron, and enable reuse of the cleaned water for drilling and fracking operations.

The Gonzales County Operator has been using Omni's mobile treatment unit in a water recycling project to convert produced water into freshwater, brine and hydro-carbon streams. The project's goal is to reduce boron levels from 90 parts per million to less than 5 parts per million in the freshwater stream, thus making it compatible with gel frac formulations and to be reused in subsequent well operations without having to blend in additional freshwater.  

The reuse of produced and flowback water is of high significance to oil and gas operators, particularly due to local water shortages and historically dry conditions in the region. Water reuse allows operators to minimize the use and cost of freshwater resources, while reducing complexities surrounding local wastewater disposal and onsite wastewater trucking.

After the process, fracturing fluids return to the surface and must be effectively cleaned with advanced treatment solutions to remove high levels of solids, organics and other impurities. Over the longer term, produced water is brought to the surface contaminated with rapidly-changing and difficult-to-remove elements such as calcium and boron from the formation rock. By applying an integrated set of advanced treatment technologies with an automated control system, Omni is able to deliver consistent water quality so operators can reuse produced water with superior results.

About Dow Water & Process Solutions
Dow Water & Process Solutions offers a broad portfolio of ion exchange resins, reverse osmosis membranes, ultrafiltration membranes, fine particle filters and electrodeionization products, with strong positions in a number of major application areas, including industrial and municipal water, industrial processes, pharmaceuticals, power, residential water and waste and water reuse. For more information, visit www.dowwaterandprocess.com.

About Dow
Dow combines the power of science and technology to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company connects chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability to help address many of the world's most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, renewable energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity. For more information, visit www.dow.com.

About Omni Water Solutions
Omni Water Solutions is a provider of highly efficient and automated mobile systems for water treatment and re-use. Through its patented OctoZone technology, the Omni HIPPO is able to sense and respond to constantly changing fluid conditions in the field. The result is consistent-quality output at a cost that makes re-use affordable. Omni provides operators with better drilling and completion fluids for better performance. The company is based in Austin, Texas. For more information, visit omniwatersolutions.com.