Treating fluids recovered from well operations using a graphene oxide coated membrane
AssigneeHalliburton Energy Services, Inc.
InventorsDale E. Jamison, William Walter Shumway
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Abstract
Systems and methods using: a membrane unit to treat fluids recovered from an oil and gas well are provided. The membrane unit may include a membrane having a porous substrate at. least partially coated with graphene oxide, making the membrane hydrophilic. The membrane separates water from other components within a fluid stream. The membrane unit may include an inlet to receive a fluid stream into the membrane unit. The fluid stream may be pretreated prior to reaching the membrane unit The membrane unit may also include a first outlet in fluid communication with one side of the membrane and a second outlet in fluid communication with the opposite side of the membrane.
Claims20
A fluid treatment system for treating a brine-based fluid cycled through a well to maintain well pressure during wellbore operations, the fluid treatment system comprising:
- at least one pretreatment component disposed upstream of a membrane unit, wherein the at least one pretreatment component receives the brine-based fluid, and separates solids, oil, or a combination thereof from the brine-based fluid to output a pretreated fluid stream;
- and
- the membrane unit, wherein the membrane unit comprises:
- an inlet for receiving the pretreated fluid stream into the membrane unit;
- a first membrane comprising a porous substrate at least partially coated with graphene oxide, wherein the first membrane separates a first portion of the pretreated fluid stream from a second portion of the pretreated fluid stream, wherein the first portion of the pretreated fluid stream comprises water;
- a first outlet on a first side of the first membrane;
- and
- a second outlet on a second side of the first membrane opposite the first side,
- wherein the pretreated fluid stream is a first brine, wherein the first portion of the pretreated fluid stream is fresh water, and wherein the second portion of the pretreated fluid stream is a second brine, the second brine having a higher density than the first brine, wherein the higher density is in a range of from about 8.3 to 21 pounds per gallon.
A method for treating a used fluid recovered from a well, the method comprising:
- cycling a fluid through a well to maintain well pressure during wellbore operations and produce the used fluid;
- receiving, at a pretreatment unit, the used fluid recovered from the well, wherein the used fluid recovered from the well comprises a brine based fluid;
- pretreating the fluid recovered from the well via at least one pretreatment unit to separate solids, oil, or a combination thereof from the fluid recovered from the well to generate a pretreated fluid stream;
- receiving the pretreated fluid stream into a membrane unit via an inlet of the membrane unit;
- contacting the pretreated fluid stream with a first membrane of the membrane unit, the first membrane comprising a porous substrate at least partially coated with graphene oxide;
- separating a first portion of the pretreated fluid stream from a second portion of the pretreated fluid stream via the first membrane, wherein the first portion of the pretreated fluid stream comprises water;
- outputting the first portion of the pretreated fluid stream via a first outlet of the membrane unit;
- and
- outputting the second portion of the pretreated fluid stream via a second outlet of the membrane unit,
- wherein the pretreated fluid stream is a first brine, wherein the first portion of the pretreated fluid stream is fresh water, and wherein the second portion of the pretreated fluid stream is a second brine, the second brine having a higher density that the first brine, wherein the higher density is in a range of from about 8.3 to 21 pounds per gallon.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.