Zero liquid discharge water management system
AssigneeSaudi Arabian Oil Company
InventorsSubhash Ayirala, Salah H. Alsaleh, Ali A. Al-Yousef
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Abstract
Systems and methods including a pretreatment component for pretreating a produced water obtained from a subterranean formation operation to remove at least a portion of dispersed hydrocarbons and hydrogen sulfide therein, thereby producing a high salinity produced water; a desalination component for desalinating of the high salinity produced water to remove at least one or more salts therein, thereby producing a desalinated water and a saturated saline water; and a mineral recovery component for treating the saturated saline water to recover mineral salts therein, thereby producing the recovered mineral salts.
Claims20
A system comprising:
- a pretreatment unit for pretreating a produced water obtained from a subterranean formation operation;
- wherein the produced water contains dispersed hydrocarbons, hydrogen sulfide, or both, and
- wherein the pretreatment unit removes at least a portion of the dispersed hydrocarbons, hydrogen sulfide, or both, thereby producing a high salinity water;
- a desalination unit for desalinating the high salinity water to remove at least one or more salts therein, thereby producing a desalinated water and a saturated saline water;
- a recycling conduit configured to return at least a portion of the saturated saline water to a location downstream of the pretreatment unit and upstream of the desalination unit to mix with the high salinity water before entering the desalination unit to remove one or more salts therein;
- and
- a mineral recovery component for treating the saturated saline water to recover mineral salts therein, thereby producing recovered salt.
A method comprising:
- pretreating a produced water obtained from a subterranean formation operation to remove at least a portion of dispersed hydrocarbons and hydrogen sulfide therein, thereby producing a high salinity water;
- desalinating the high salinity water in a desalination unit to remove at least one or more salts therein, thereby producing a desalinated water and a saturated saline water;
- returning at least a portion of the saturated saline water via a recycling conduit to a location upstream of the desalination unit to mix with the high salinity water before entering the desalination unit to remove one or more salts therein;
- and
- treating the saturated saline water to recover mineral salts therein, thereby producing recovered mineral salts.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.