Methods and systems for producing treated brines

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016228795-A1
Application number	US-201514719295-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 21, 2015
Priority date	Feb 11, 2015
Publication date	Aug 11, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Water treatment systems and associated methods are generally described. Certain embodiments of the water treatment systems and methods described herein may be used to treat water comprising one or more contaminants (e.g., oil, grease, suspended solids, scale-forming ions, volatile organic material) to remove at least a portion of the one or more contaminants. In some embodiments, at least a portion of the treated water may be used directly in certain applications (e.g., oil and/or gas extraction processes). In some embodiments, at least a portion of the treated water may undergo desalination to produce substantially pure water and/or concentrated brine.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A water treatment system, comprising:
a clean brine system, comprising:
a separation apparatus configured to remove at least a portion of at least one suspended and/or emulsified immiscible phase from an aqueous input stream received by the separation apparatus to produce an immiscible-phase-diminished stream containing less of the immiscible phase relative to the aqueous input stream received by the separation apparatus;
an ion-removal apparatus fluidically connected to the separation apparatus and configured to remove at least a portion of at least one scale-forming ion from an aqueous input stream received by the ion-removal apparatus to produce an ion-diminished stream containing less of the at least one scale-forming ion relative to the aqueous input stream received by the ion-removal apparatus;
a suspended solids removal apparatus fluidically connected to the separation apparatus and/or the ion-removal apparatus and configured to remove at least a portion of suspended solids from an aqueous input stream received by the suspended solids removal apparatus to produce a suspended-solids-diminished stream containing less suspended solid material relative to the aqueous input stream received by the suspended solids removal apparatus; and
a storage tank fluidically connected to at least one component of the clean brine system such that no intervening precipitation apparatus is fluidically connected between the storage tank and the component.

2 . The water treatment system according to claim 1 , wherein no crystallization tank is fluidically connected between the storage tank and the component.

3 . The water treatment system according to claim 1 , wherein no intervening humidifier or dehumidifier apparatus is fluidically connected between the storage tank and the component.

4 . The water treatment system according to claim 1 , wherein the storage tank is directly fluidically connected to at least one component of the clean brine system.

5 . The water treatment system according to claim 1 , wherein the separation apparatus comprises an induced air flotation (IAF) separator.

6 . The water treatment system according to claim 1 , wherein the separation apparatus is configured to remove droplets of the immiscible phase having an average droplet size of at least about 20 microns.

7 . The water treatment system according to claim 1 , wherein the immiscible phase comprises oil and/or grease.

8 . The water treatment system according to claim 1 , wherein the ion-removal apparatus comprises a chemical ion-removal apparatus.

9 . The water treatment system according to claim 8 , wherein the ion-removal apparatus is configured to add caustic soda, soda ash, and/or an anionic polymer to the aqueous input stream received by the ion-removal apparatus.

10 . The water treatment system according to claim 1 , wherein the ion-removal apparatus is configured to remove at least about 5% of the scale-forming ion from the aqueous input stream received by the ion-removal apparatus.

11 . The water treatment system according to claim 1 , wherein the ion-diminished stream contains the scale-forming ion in an amount of about 5000 mg/L or less.

12 . The water treatment system according claim 1 , wherein the suspended solids removal apparatus comprises a filter, a gravity settler, and/or a coagulant-induced flocculator.

13 . The water treatment system according to claim 12 , wherein the filter comprises a bag filter and/or a granular bed filter.

14 . The water treatment system according to claim 1 , further comprising a pH adjustment apparatus fluidically connected to the separation apparatus, ion-removal apparatus, and/or suspended solids removal apparatus and configured to increase or decrease the pH of an aqueous input stream received by the pH adjustment apparatus to produce a pH-adjusted stream.

15 . The water treatment system according to claim 1 , further comprising a VOM removal apparatus fluidically connected to the separation apparatus, ion-removal apparatus, suspended solids removal apparatus, and/or pH adjustment apparatus and configured to remove at least a portion of VOM from an aqueous input stream received by the VOM removal apparatus to produce a VOM-diminished stream.

16 . The water treatment system according to claim 15 , wherein the VOM removal apparatus comprises a carbon bed filter and/or an air stripper.

17 . The water treatment system according claim 1 , further comprising a filtration apparatus fluidically connected to the separation apparatus, the ion-removal apparatus, the suspended solids removal apparatus, the pH adjustment apparatus, and/or the VOM removal apparatus.

18 . The water treatment system according to claim 17 , wherein the filtration apparatus comprises a filter press.

19 . A method for treating water, comprising:
supplying an aqueous input stream to a separation apparatus; removing, within the separation apparatus, at least a portion of at least one suspended and/or emulsified immiscible phase from the aqueous input stream to produce an immiscible-phase-diminished stream containing less of the immiscible phase relative to the aqueous input stream; supplying at least a portion of the immiscible-phase-diminished stream to an ion-removal apparatus; removing, within the ion-removal apparatus, at least a portion of at least one scale-forming ion from the immiscible-phase-diminished stream to produce an ion-diminished stream containing less of the at least one scale-forming ion relative to the immiscible-phase-diminished stream; and directing at least a portion of the ion-diminished stream to a storage tank.

20 . The method for treating water according to claim 19 , wherein the directing step involves directing at least a portion of the ion-diminished stream to the storage tank without first directing the portion of the ion-diminished stream to any crystallization tank, humidifier apparatus, or dehumidifier apparatus.

21 - 31 . (canceled)

Assignees

• Gradiant Corp

Inventors

• St John Maximus G
• Lam Steven
• Govindan Prakash Narayan

Classifications

• C02F1/66

  by neutralisation; pH adjustment (for degassing C02F1/20; using ion-exchange C02F1/42; for flocculation or precipitation of suspended impurities C02F1/52; for removing dissolved compounds C02F1/58) · CPC title

• B03D1/1431

  Dissolved air flotation machines · CPC title

• C02F2101/10

  Inorganic compounds · CPC title

• B01D21/02 Primary

  Settling tanks {with single outlets for the separated liquid} · CPC title

• C02F1/24

  by flotation (C02F1/465 takes precedence) · CPC title