Sulfate molecule removal through inorganic or divalent ion nuclei seeding

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9266754-B2
Application number	US-97613910-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 22, 2010
Priority date	Dec 22, 2010
Publication date	Feb 23, 2016
Grant date	Feb 23, 2016

Abstract

Methods and apparatus of embodiments of the invention relate to treating water including contacting a liquid stream with a source comprising inorganic and/or divalent ions and separating the stream into an effluent and a fluid comprising less sulfate than the stream, wherein the effluent comprises more sulfate and more inorganic and/or divalent ions than the stream. Methods and apparatus relate to treating water including a reaction unit comprising an inlet for feed fluid and an inlet for inorganic and/or divalent ions and a separator unit comprising an inlet for output from the reaction unit, an outlet for effluent, and an outlet for fluid comprising less sulfate than the feed fluid. Some embodiments include introducing the fluid comprising less sulfate than the stream into a subterranean formation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for treating water, comprising:
contacting, with mixing, a liquid stream of water containing sulfate with a source comprising inorganic and/or divalent ions;
separating the stream into an effluent and a fluid comprising less sulfate than the stream; and
evaluating a concentration of sulfate in the fluid comprising less sulfate and, if the concentration of sulfate in the fluid comprising less sulfate needs to be reduced, returning the fluid comprising less sulfate to again contact the source comprising inorganic and/or divalent ions,
wherein the effluent comprises more sulfate and more inorganic and/or divalent ions than the stream, and
wherein the contacting and separating are performed in equipment with surfaces that comprise an anti-adhesion coating that prevents formation of sulfate on a surface of the equipment.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the inorganic and/or divalent ions comprise barium chloride.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the contacting further comprises forming solid precipitates.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the separating comprises density separation.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the separating comprises separating solid precipitates from the stream.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising measuring the sulfate concentration in the effluent.

7. A method for treating water, comprising:
contacting a liquid stream of water containing sulfate with a source comprising inorganic and/or divalent ions in a reactor containing a mixing apparatus;
separating the stream in a separator unit into an effluent and a fluid comprising less sulfate than the stream; and
evaluating a concentration of sulfate in the fluid comprising less sulfate and, if the concentration of sulfate in the fluid comprising less sulfate needs to be reduced, returning the fluid comprising less sulfate to the reactor to again contact the source comprising inorganic and/or divalent ions,
wherein the effluent comprises more sulfate and more inorganic and/or divalent ions than the stream, and
wherein the contacting and separating are performed in equipment with surfaces that comprise an anti-adhesion coating that prevents formation of sulfate on a surface of the equipment.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising introducing the fluid comprising less sulfate than the stream into a subterranean formation.

Assignees

• Wahid M Fazrie B A
• Schlumberger Technology Corp

Inventors

• Wahid M Fazrie B A

Classifications

• C02F5/02 Primary

  Softening water by precipitation of the hardness · CPC title

• C02F2103/10

  from quarries or from mining activities · CPC title

• C02F2103/08

  Seawater, e.g. for desalination · CPC title

• C02F2209/003

  Downstream control, i.e. outlet monitoring, e.g. to check the treating agents, such as halogens or ozone, leaving the process · CPC title

• C02F1/5236 Primary

  using inorganic agents · CPC title