The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 05, 2009
Filed:
Mar. 13, 2007
Lee L. Shafer, Big Piney, WY (US);
John W. James, Boulder, WY (US);
Richard D. Rath, Larkspur, CO (US);
Jesse Eubank, LaBarge, WY (US);
Lee L. Shafer, Big Piney, WY (US);
John W. James, Boulder, WY (US);
Richard D. Rath, Larkspur, CO (US);
Jesse Eubank, LaBarge, WY (US);
Anticline Disposal, LLC, Rapid City, SD (US);
Abstract
Systems and methods have been developed for reclaiming water contaminated with the expected range of contaminants typically associated with produced water in order to produce a treated water having a quality adequate for reuse as a fracturing water. The system includes anaerobically digesting the contaminated water, followed by aerating the water to enhance biological digestion. After aeration, the water is separated using a flotation operation that effectively removes the spent friction reducing agents and allows the treated water to be reclaimed and reused as fracturing water, even though it retains levels of contaminants, including boron and methanol, that would prevent its discharge to the environment under existing standards. The treated water has had a sufficient amount of the gellation-inhibiting contaminants, such as acrylamide friction reducing compounds, removed to allow the treated water to be an economically viable fracturing water.