Issue
A Salt Water Disposal facility in the Midland Basin was experiencing consistently high barium levels in its produced water stream. This condition presented multiple serious challenges:
- Regulatory Risk: Barium levels were above acceptable discharge thresholds, threatening environmental compliance and risking potential penalties.
- Environmental & Health Hazards: Elevated barium concentrations posed threats to groundwater and ecosystems, with potential health risks to humans and animals.
- Operational Challenges: High barium content caused scaling and corrosion in infrastructure, reducing equipment lifespan and increasing maintenance costs.
- Oil Recovery Impact: Chemical interference from barium was reducing the effectiveness of separation and emulsion stability, which lowered oil recovery efficiency.
The combination of compliance, financial, and operational risks required immediate remediation.
Solution
Following a comprehensive site assessment, a custom-engineered treatment solution was selected. The key requirements were:
- Meet and maintain regulatory thresholds for barium
- Integrate into existing infrastructure with minimal disruption
- Improve operational efficiency and protect downstream processes
The selected approach combined:
- Filtrationto remove suspended solids
- Ion exchangeto target dissolved barium
- Chemical dosingto prevent precipitation and interference with treatment chemistry
Work Completed
- Root Cause Analysis & Water Characterization
- Detailed water sampling and analysis confirmed barium levels well above discharge limits
- The team identified operational practices and upstream sources contributing to the issue
- System Design & Engineering
- A custom treatment trainwas designed with capacity tailored to site throughput
- Equipment selection included specialized ion exchange resins and anti-scaling agents
- Procurement & Installation
- All necessary components were procured and installed without disrupting normal SWD operations
- The system was fully integrated into the existing infrastructure and automated monitoring was added
- Commissioning & Optimization
- The treatment system underwent calibration and performance testing
- The team trained onsite personnel and implemented a monitoring protocol for barium and related indicators
Results
Operational Benefits
- Consistent Regulatory Compliance: Treated water met discharge thresholds consistently
- Improved Treatment Performance: Downstream oil separation improved due to chemical stability
- Reduced Scaling and Corrosion: System wear decreased, extending equipment life and cutting maintenance costs
Financial Impact
- Increased oil production from improved water quality
- Decreased maintenance and downtime
- Lower chemical consumption and reduced disposal costs
Conclusion
By proactively addressing high barium levels in produced water, the SWD facility achieved full regulatory compliance, enhanced operational efficiency, and strong financial returns. This case demonstrates how customized, data-driven water treatment strategies can resolve complex water quality issues while protecting infrastructure and improving recovery rates.
CIP’s collaborative approach, from diagnosis through execution, delivered measurable value and long-term sustainability for the customer.
