Veolia Water Technologies, Inc.

Aquatech International Corporation

Hpd, LLC

Mark Nicholson

Keith R Minnich

Richard Schoen

Dorothy Neu

Donald Boudreau

RamKumar Karlapudi

Nathan Michael Jones

Corey Skadahl

The present invention entails dual centrifuges configured to remove suspended solids, silica, and other precipitants from evaporator brine prior to the brine being disposed of via deep well injection. First, the evaporator brine is directed through a highly efficient first centrifuge configured to remove essentially all suspended solids, including very small suspended solids that typically cannot be retained in a filter or other dewatering devices. The centrate from the first centrifuge, depleted in suspended solids, silica and other precipitants, can be disposed of via deep well injection. The first centrifuge also produces a slurry that is directed to a separate centrifuge that produces a second centrate and waste wet cake. The second centrate is recycled and mixed with the evaporator brine and the mixture is directed to the first centrifuge.

System and method for treating evaporator blowdown

The present invention relates to a process that uses one or more evaporators to treat produced water containing silica. To address silica scaling, a crystallizing reagent is mixed with the produced water upstream of the evaporator. The crystallizing reagent is designed to precipitate a silica adsorbing compound such as magnesium hydroxide. The feedwater with the adsorbed silica is directed to an evaporator that produces a distillate and a concentrate containing the adsorbed silica. At least a portion of the concentrate having the silica adsorbing compound is directed to a separator that separates the silica adsorbing compound from the concentrate and recycles it back to where it is mixed with the produced water.

Process for treating produced water with magnesium oxide

An oil recovery process includes recovering an oil-water mixture from an oil-bearing formation and separating the produced water from the oil-water mixture. The produced water includes dissolved gases and the method includes heating and pressurizing the produced water. After the produced water is heated and pressurized, it is flash vaporized through a lesser pressure which produces a vapor and residual produced water. The flash vaporization of the produced water evaporates dissolved gases and the dissolved gases are vented away with the vapor.

System and method for treating produced water having a flash vaporization system for removing dissolved gases from produced water

The present invention relates to a process for treating evaporator concentrate. The process includes generating or producing a vent stream that includes carbon dioxide and mixing the carbon dioxide with the evaporator blowdown to reduce the pH of the evaporator blowdown. In cases where the evaporator blowdown includes a significant concentration of silica, lowering the pH will precipitate silica from the evaporator blowdown.

Process for treating produced water evaporator concentrate

An evaporation based method for generation of high pressure steam from produced water in the heavy oil production industry. De-oiled produced water is processed through a high pH/high pressure evaporator driven by a commercial watertube boiler. The vapor produced by the evaporator is suitable for the steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) method being utilized by heavy oil recovery installations, without the use of once through steam generators that require extensive chemical treatment, and without requiring atmospheric distillation, which requires high power consuming compressors. Evaporator blowdown may be further treated in a crystallizing evaporator to provide a zero liquid discharge (ZLD) system and, with most produced waters, at least 98% of the incoming produced water stream can be recovered in the form of high pressure steam.

Method for production of high pressure steam from produced water

A method for recovering oil includes recovering an oil-water mixture from a well and separating oil from the oil-water mixture to produce an oil product and produced water. The produced water is directed to an evaporator which produces steam that is condensed to form a distillate. Thereafter the distillate is directed to a steam generator and is heated to form steam and water. At least a portion of the water is recirculated through the steam generator. Another portion of the water is mixed with the steam to form a steam-water mixture that is injected into an injection well.

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Pewaukee, WI, United States of America

Mark Nicholson