oa Produced Water from Oil and Gas Fields: Sampling and Analytical Protocols

The oil and gas industries are one of the major producers of wastewater streams. Most of this water is disposed either through subsurface reinjection or surface discharge after some treatment. There is a growing interest in the reuse of produced water from oil and gas fields due to limited availability of freshwater resources. However, the poor quality of the produced water is a big challenge for its reuse. The characteristics of produced waters are highly complex, variable, and are dependent on field location, nature of reservoir, type of hydrocarbons produced, and field chemicals added. Good sampling and analytical methodology are required to better understand the needs for water treatment options, to evaluate environmental impact, and to explore feasibility of produced water reuse. In addition to that, quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) protocols are essential for wastewater characterization. The presentation will address the importance of proper sampling and analytical protocols that are relevant to produced water recycling. Also, analytical data validation, which is a critical component of QA/QC, will be discussed.