Method of evaporating produced water
In accordance with the present invention, problems related to produced water management are addressed. The proposed produced water evaporation system incorporates several simple components in a closed system to achieve a safe and effective produced water reduction alternative that can be efficient and sustainable on active natural gas well pads.
1. A method of evaporating produced water, comprising:
filtering produced water to remove particulates suspended in the produced water;
pre-heating the produced water in a pre-heat treatment unit;
evaporating the produced water in an evaporation chamber comprising a tank and a heating source and configured to receive produced water from the pre-heat treatment unit and further heat the produced water; and
removing the produced water from the evaporation chamber once a heavy brine is formed.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of recirculating the heavy brine through the pre-heat treatment unit.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of passing the produced water through a chemical adsorbent housing.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the chemical adsorbent housing comprises a bed of activated carbon.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of passing the produced water through a water softening unit.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of pre-heating the produced water further comprises heating the produced water to a temperature between 120-150 degrees Fahrenheit.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of removing the produced water from the evaporation chamber is performed when the heavy brine formed by the evaporation chamber has a density equal to or less than 10.2 pounds per gallon.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the heating source is a firetube.