Reuse of Flowback & Produced Water for Hydraulic Fracturing in Tight Oil

Sarah Fulton, Penn West Exploration
GL 09-9173-50

The objective of the Reuse of Flowback & Produced Water for Hydraulic Fracturing in Tight Oil assessment is to evaluate potential opportunities to reduce freshwater consumption and waste through reuse of produced and/or flowback waters as sources of base fluid for hydraulic fracturing. The evaluation requires quantification and characterization of various tight oil hydraulic fracturing flowback and produced waters and characterization of the desired quality of the base fluid for reuse. This information is used to evaluate integrated treatment technology objectives for water reuse in multi-stage hydraulic fracturing applications within tight oil resource plays. This evaluation framework will assist industry peers in developing enhanced water treatment and recycling best practices in similar applications.

Policy Issue
Water consumption/emissions per unit of production

Knowledge Gap
Sustainable resource management decision-making requires diverse information. Comparing energy sources requires more complete data about emissions and water consumption on per unit energy basis. Develop comparison figures of water use per energy unit for a broad spectrum of energy sources.

Final Report

2012 Presentation: Project Review

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