Date of Award
January 2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Petroleum Engineering
First Advisor
Kegang Ling
Abstract
Produced water management is one of the biggest challenges in the oil and gas industry due to its high volume, treatment cost, and environmental footprint—particularly in high-salinity regions such as North Dakota's Bakken Formation. This research proposes an integrated, onsite treatment system to convert produced water into a reusable resource for irrigation, range land restoration, and aquifer recharge. Gravity separation and adsorption were implemented for dispersed oil removal, while membrane filtration and biological treatments for total dissolved solids reduction. Experimental tests validated through process modeling and performance simulations verified that the use of these technologies can significantly improve water quality to allow reuse to be economically viable. The study further analyzes the performance of high-viscosity friction reducers (HVFRs) in salt conditions. Tests showed that divalent cations, such as Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, and Sr²⁺, suppress polymer viscosity significantly, with Sr²⁺ showing maximum inhibition. Rheology tests showed that viscosity decreases as the shear rate and temperature are increased. Additional tests performed using different polymer blends showed that optimal polymer compositions could minimize salt-induced viscosity loss and fluid stability under harsh conditions to a certain extent. A comparative settling study of proppants showed that produced water, having higher salinity, inhibits particle sedimentation more than fresh water due to its viscosity. Addition of HVFR also enhanced proppant suspension in both fluids. These findings reinforce the promise that an adaptive treatment and fluid optimization approach, guided by experimental data and predictive modeling, will enable efficiently generated water reuse throughout hydraulic fracturing and beyond uses, which conserves freshwater requirements and offers cost and environmentally meaningful benefits.
Recommended Citation
Rashidi Araghi, Hamid Reza, "Optimizing Produced Water Management In The Oil And Gas Industry: Challenges And Solutions In The Bakken Formation, Williston Basin, ND" (2025). Theses and Dissertations. 7151.
https://commons.und.edu/theses/7151