Interview: Water purification for UK shale operations

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INTERVIEW
Water purification for UK shale operations
Antony Newman, Director,
Hydrologic Tech Solutions (UK)
With water still high on the agenda when it comes to
environmental concerns relating to fracking, the industry has
come up with a plethora of innovative solutions. ElectroPure
is a mobile onsite technology developed in Canada and soon
to be available in the UK. It helps energy producers remove
bacteria, heavy metals and NORM (naturally occurring radioactive
materials) from produced and flowback waters, eliminating the
Monica Thomas (Shale Gas International): Your company provides ElectroPure – a mobile
onsite technology that treats contaminated water resulting from hydraulic fracturing
operations. Can you briefly explain why there is a need for such technology? What are
the elements that need to be removed during the purification process, and why are they
problematic?
Antony Newman (Hydrologic Tech Solutions, UK): Well, this is really an opportunity for the triple-
bottom-line approach to a problem. As fracking gained in popularity in the mid-2000s, it opened
access to commercial levels of production from unconventional tight rock formations not previously
thought to be possible. The large volumes of water needed to open the rock must flow back from the
well and this requires management. There is an economic cost to managing this flowback when it is
trucked off-site for deep well disposal while other trucks source fresh water for the next well frac.
There is also social and environmental cost in the form of competing access to water, stewardship
of water resources, and nuisance/safety aspects to all the heavy truck traffic. If the water that
flows back from one frac can be used in subsequent fracs, there can be environmental, social, and
economic wins.
When the water is in contact with the geological formation, it picks up contaminants as it flows back
to the surface. Further, bacteria may begin to grow in the water, creating additional contaminants.
use of toxic chemicals, saving water resources and reducing truck movement to the site. Today we
are discussing this innovative solution with Antony Newman of Hydrologic Tech Solutions, the only
reseller of the ElectroPure system in the UK.

Some of these contaminants can pose problems with re-use of the water, either by interfering with
the friction reducers or gelling agents in a well frac, plugging pores in the rock needed to let gas
or oil escape, or by posing health risks to on-site workers. ElectroPure is a proprietary wastewater
process train specifically engineered to treat oilfield water for re-use. Heavy metals, bacteria,
suspended solids, hydrogen sulphide, and organic matter is removed by ElectroPure so that flowback
water may be re-used.
MT: Can you explain the difference between produced and flowback water? What is the
difference in terms of chemical make-up or treatment?
AN: Produced water generally refers to
formation water originally present in the
pores of the rock which flows back to the
surface with the oil or gas in a well. Think
of it as ancient oceans. Flowback generally
refers to the water which is used to
hydraulically fracture the rock and then flows back to the surface as the well is brought on-stream.
However, since it can take months for a well to flow back the water used in a frac, the convention
may be to call flowback produced water after a well has been on production for a number of days.
This can vary by State or Province, as each dictates how oil and gas production is recorded. Some
unconventional resources do not have material pore water and so these wells technically do not have
any produced water.
Produced water has been in contact with the geological formation for millions of years and so it
has reached some degree of chemical equilibrium. In contrast, water used in the frack is only in
contact with the formation for a short period of time. The flowback also contains some of the sand
and residual chemicals that were used in the frac. Treating flowback is challenging because the
composition can change dramatically over time, depending on a number of factors.
MT: According to the UK Department of Energy & Climate Change, each fracking operation
requires between 10 and 30 million litres of fresh water. How much of that would be fresh
water and how much recycled flowback / produced water?
AN: That is a very good question but one that is very difficult to answer! It will depend on how much
of the original volume of water used in the frac returns, how quickly it returns, what the chemical
composition of the water is over that period, what other sources of water are available, and what the
water disposal options are. It is not uncommon for a formation to return less than 60% of the volume
of water used in a frac, so make-up water from another source has to be found. Exploration and
production companies across the world are evaluating alternative sources of water, such as brackish
or brine water which may be found deeper than most potable freshwater aquifers while others are
utilizing gray water from municipal waterworks plants. Still others are using produced water from
conventional oil and gas production as sources of water. Economics play a dominant role in the
“ ’’When the water is in contact
with the geological formation,
it picks up contaminants as it
flows back to the surface.

evaluation of water sources and we are focusing on making treatment and re-use of water more
economically viable by continuously improving the ElectroPure technology.
MT: Following on from the previous question; how big a strain do you think shale
exploration will put on the utilities sector in Britain?
AN: I cannot speak on their behalf if you do your research you will find that our utility sector has
in place long-term strategies for water and wastewater services. A House of Commons briefing
paper, dated September 2015 does cover off a number of points for shale gas exploration including
comments around water usage and how it can be managed sustainably.
MT: Hydrologic Tech Solutions is a partner / reseller of the Canadian firm Grounds Effect
Company, why do you think this particular solution should be adopted in the UK?
AN: Because ElectroPure is a proven patented solution. A Green, environmentally friendly, chemical
free answer in Oil & Gas Solids Control and Wastewater Treatment.
MT: My understanding is that when it comes to fracking operations, the water situation
in the UK is rather different from, say, in the U.S. For one, British landowners don’t tend
to take their water from wells located on their properties, but rather rely on the utility
companies. Can you, perhaps, explain how does this difference impact on fracking
operations in the UK?
AN: Water sourcing is only one of the factors that are considered in an overall water management
plan. Fresh water can be found in underground aquifers, rivers, lakes, and from precipitation.
ElectroPure Truck PhotoThe availability at any given time of these sources and the cost to access,
transport, and store the water is taken into account. Water utilities play a role in supplying water
for fracking in many areas of North America and I expect they will play a significant role in the UK. As
regulated entities, this will allow the utility companies and the regulators to anticipate the needs of
all water users and ensure reliable delivery to all.
MT: Another major difference is that deep-well injections – an EPA-approved method of
disposing of flowback and produced water in the U.S. – is not allowed under current EU
laws. Given that deep-well injections are banned, what would be the standard methods of
dealing with flowback and produced water that ElectroPure replaces?
AN: It is true that in Canada and the US, deep well disposal is how much of the produced water and
flowback water is managed. There are resource plays in both countries however that face limited
access to suitable geological formations for deep well disposal and this has driven the need for more
creative re-use strategies because it changes the economics of water management. I expect that
with the EU ban, ElectroPure will prove to be a very viable option for E&P companies in the UK and EU.

MT: ElectroPure is innovative in that it removes the necessity for deep-well injections,
which as we know are problematic. Can you briefly explain the process of purification – in
layman’s terms –and why you believe it is superior to other water-purification solutions
out there?
AN: ElectroPure is a process that incorporates a number of wastewater treatment technologies.
The dominant mechanism involved is electrocoagulation (EC). EC subjects water to a high electrical
current which dissolves a metal electrode, seeding the water with reactive elements that cause
contaminants to clump together. EC also creates side reactions which include a strong pH gradient
across the electrodes and the generation of very small bubbles. Together, these all act to destabilize
contaminants and allow for their
removal. The process is similar to the
chemical coagulation process commonly
used in water and wastewater
treatment plants and EC has been
described since 1889, but the science
has only been developed over the last
couple decades to reveal the great
potential the technology holds.
ElectroPure contains a proprietary EC reactor design but also incorporates a number of pre- and
post-EC treatment processes required for a complete turn-key water treatment package. It is
highly effective at removing the key contaminants that interfere with frac programs, without over-
treating the water and creating lots of by-product waste. Adjustment to the treatment process is
a simple matter of increasing or decreasing the amount of amps flowing into the water, allowing
quick field-based tuning of the system. EPT 700 CutawayBe-cause the chemical composition of
flowback changes so much over time, this makes EC highly effective at reacting to those changes to
ensure the water is treated effectively. Further, some flowback becomes quite salty after dissolving
formation minerals and this constrains certain water treating technologies.
MT: How efficient is it in terms of energy, time, and costs?
AN: The main consumable in ElectroPure is electricity and it consumes less than $20 per hour so
it is very efficient. ElectroPure also has throughput rates of up to 1800 litres per minute for mobile
systems and much higher for fixed facility locations so this brings the time on site and unit cost of
labour down significantly as well. In North America, ElectroPure is able to compete with deep-well
disposal in many instances and should provide very favourable economics to oil and gas producers in
the UK if deep well disposal continues to be banned.
MT: Once the process is completed, how clean is the water? Is it clean enough to drink, or
is it sufficiently clean to re-use in fracturing operations – saving the potable water?

AN: The ElectroPure system creates clear, high-quality brine. That means that it doesn’t take out
simple salts like sodium and chloride which don’t impair re-use in fracking, but it does take out things
like particulate matter, organic matter, and heavy metals that can interfere with the well completion.
ElectroPure is an effect environmental treatment modality that allows safe disposal when water used
for drilling and fracturing operations becomes surplus to requirement. Combining ElectroPure with
other technologies gives the capability to remove salts and bring water to a recognised water quality
standard.
MT: The ElectroPure solution has been developed in Canada. In what other countries has it
been so far adopted?
AN: ElectroPure has been used in the major shale resource plays in Canada and the US, in desert to
arctic climates. The UK and Australia are markets that ElectroPure is just entering and we believe the
technology will be well received in both.
MT: How receptive are British utility companies towards adopting the ElectroPure
technology?
AN: It is still very early days, the feedback so far has been good, they find the technology of interest.
Let’s see how those discussions progress.
MT: Hydrologic Tech Solutions is a UK-based company, therefore I assume you must be
rather optimistic about the future of shale exploration in Britain. How soon, do you think,
will we move to the production phase when it comes to shale gas? What do you think
needs to happen for the shale industry to truly take off in the UK?
AN: Total energy independence for the UK is the right goal. The shale gas industry is in a fledgeling
state, once a handful of local planning applications are approved the industry will take shape over the
next 5 years.
MT: One of the major obstacles to shale development in the UK is the lack of popular
support. Is there any way in which the ElectroPure technology can help in gaining that
acceptance?
AN: The oil and gas exploration sector is always under scrutiny. The right technologies for
safeguarding the environment are available. Electropure is a proven proposition, we believe it can only
assist in taking away some of the concerns, reservation and myths surrounding hydraulic fracturing
and the techniques that the industry can deploy when it comes to wastewater management.
Published: 19th October, 2015

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Interview: Water purification for UK shale operations

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Interview: Water purification for UK shale operations