Spatial and Temporal Variabilty in Produced Water in Texas: Implications for Management
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Spatial and Temporal Variabilty in Produced Water in Texas: Implications for Management Bridget Scanlon, Robert C. Reedy, Svetlana Ikonnikova, and Qian Yang Bureau of Economic Geology Jackson School of Geosciences University of Texas at Austin Texas Groundwater Protection Committee Basic Questions 1. How much water is used for hydraulic fracturing (source and quality of water)? 2. How much water is produced with oil and gas and how is it managed? 3. What is the quality of produced water? 4. Can we reuse produced water for hydraulic fracturing? 5. Can we treat produced water for use in other sectors? Work Flow Data Types • Geology, hydrology • Reservoir data • Well completions • Production Historical Trends Future Projections Impacts • HF water • Play lifetime HF, PW • Water scarcity • Produced water • 2018-2035 Outlook • GW depletion • PW management Mitigation PW reuse for HF Water Use for Hydraulic Fracturing Cumulative hydraulic Bakken 2009-2017 Billion gal fracturing volume is highest in the Permian 49 Marcellus-Utica Niobrara 28 96 Oklahoma Fayetteville 64 24 Hydraulic Fracturing Barnett 34 130 Haynesville Permian 30 Eagle Ford 110 Thickness and Drilling in Primary Producing Intervals in Permian Basin Thickness of Wolfcamp A & B units in Midland and Delaware basins in the Permian Basin and horizontal wells by year. Total Water Use for Hydraulic Fracturing by Play 70 HF water use increased by ~ 10× in ) 250 ) yr 60 yr Permian Basin (2011 – 2017), growth phase L/ gal/ 200 9 9 50 HF water use peaked in many plays in 2014, (10 (10 reflects ↓ drilling since then, related to oil 40 150 price drop 30 100 High HF water use in Permian reflects 20 increased drilling + rising HF water intensity 50 10 Total HF water use Total HF water use 0 - 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 Total Lateral Length Drilled HF water use/foot of lateral 30 3.5 8 40 m) 25 ) ft) 3.0 6 ft 6 20 2.5 /m) 6 30 3 2.0 15 gal/ (1000 4 1.5 20 10 2 1.0 5 10 HF water use (m Total lateral length (10 Total lateral length (10 HF water use 0.5 0 0 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 0.0 0 2009 2014 Lateral length drilled peaked in 207 in Permian HF water use/foot of lateral in Permian and 2014 in many other plays increased by 4× 2011 – 2017; ~300% Water use for Hydraulic Fracturing as a % of Total Water Use in the Play Fayetteville Haynesville HF Water Use as % of Total Barnett Water Use Marcellus/… Niobrara Bakken Eagle Ford Permian 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 HF water use (109 gal/yr) or % total water use Water use (WU) for hydraulic fracturing (HF, maximum annual) ranges from 4% to 22% of total water use (TWU; USGS 2015) in play areas, excluding mining. Major and Minor Aquifers in the Permian Basin Groundwater Management Depth of Rig, Frack, and Industrial Wells Number of Wells drilled to supply Hydraulic Fracturing by Aquifer Groundwater Quality Groundwater Quality Impacts of Groundwater Pumping on Groundwater Levels Pecos (Permian) Eagle Ford 2000 2003 2006 2009 2012 2015 2018 2000 2003 2006 2009 2012 2015 2018 0 0 0 0 4644501 Reeves County Pecos Valley Aquifer 10 100 627 ft (191 m) deep unused 50 50 well 20 200 WL decline 2.6 ft/yr (0.8 m/yr) 100 >2010 30 300 7738103 100 40 400 La Salle County Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer Depth Depth to water (ft) 150 Depth to water (ft) Depth Depth to water (m) 50 Depth to water (m) 500 Stock well 150 2,084 ft deep; 46 ft/yr (14 m/yr) 600 200 60 GW declines in the Delaware Basin could impact surface water. Large GW declines in the western portion of the Eagle Ford play. HF demand: ~5,000 Bgal over life of Bakken the play in the Permian (Wolfcamp A 57,000 wells Projected HF water & B units) 370 Projected water availability based on demand:- Billion managed depletion: ~300 Bgal/yr gal If the ~300,000 HF wells are drilled over 50 yr HF water use = ~30% of projected 1,900 managed available groundwater Midland Basin 2,800 106,000 wells Hydraulic 710 Delaware Basin fracturing 192,000 wells Eagle Ford 87,000 wells Basic Questions 1. How much water is used for hydraulic fracturing (source and quality of water)? 2. How much water is produced with oil and gas and how is it managed? 3. What is the quality of produced water? 4. Can we reuse produced water for hydraulic fracturing? 5. Can we treat produced water for use in other sectors? Produced water from oil plays Bakken 2009-2017 Billion gal generally much higher than that from gas plays Permian PW = 20 × Marcellus 75 PW Marcellus-Utica Niobrara 5.4 9.4 480 Oklahoma Fayetteville Barnett 74 Produce 180 Haynesville d Permian SaltWater water 16 disposal Eagle Ford 61 Produced Water Volume in Plays 70 250 60 Oklahoma PW volume ↑ 30 times in 200 50 Permian Basin (2011 – 2017) 40 150 30 Oil plays produce much 100 more water than gas plays 20 Total PW (BL/yr) Total PW (Bgal/yr) 50 10 0 - 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 Permian Basin Total Oil Production Total Produced Water 1.5 1.5 ) yr / 1.0 1.0 Bbbl ( 0.5 0.5 Total PW PW Total Total oil prodTotal (Bbbl/yr) 0.0 0.0 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 Permian Midland Delaware Permian Midland Delaware Oil production in Midland and PW in Delaware Basin = ~2× that in Midland Delaware Basins are similar Basin in 2017 PW in Delaware Basin = 3 × oil production (2017) Produced water is mostly managed using Saltwater Disposal Wells Bakken Marcellus/Utica 740 wells Permian 1,750 wells Haynesville Eagle Ford 250 wells 336 wells Induced seismicity highest in OK attributed to deeper disposal Bakken and larger volumes relative to Bakken, Permian, and Eagle Ford Marcellus/ Utica Fayetteville OK Permian Haynesville Barnett Eagle Ford Earthquake Events ≥ Magnitude 2 (monthly data; USGS Source) 25 500 20 400 15 300 Events in OK 10 200 Number of Events 5 100 0 0 Number of 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Permian Eagle Ford Barnett Seismicity increasing in the Permian and Eagle Ford plays Bakken Projected Totals - Billion gal 57,000 wells 590 10,300 2,800 Midland Basin Delaware Basin 106,000 wells 192,000 wells 240 Eagle Ford Produced 87,200 wells Water Basic Questions 1. How much water is used for hydraulic fracturing (source and quality of water)? 2. How much water is produced with oil and gas and how is it managed? 3. What is the quality of produced water? 4. Can we reuse produced water for hydraulic fracturing? 5. Can we treat produced water for use in other sectors? Produced Water Quality (USGS) Variability in Produced Water Quality among Plays Quality of Produced Water in the Permian Basin Difficulties of Analyzing Produced Water • Flowback and produced waters have complex matrices, high salinity, many waters exceeding seawater salinity • These waters contain inorganic and organic chemicals from formation waters in addition to chemical additives from hydraulic fracturing, naturally occurring radioactive materials, and heavy metals • Common analytical approaches for surface water and groundwater are not suitable for flowback and produced waters • Oetjen et al., 2017 Basic Questions 1. How much water is used for hydraulic fracturing (source and quality of water)? 2. How much water is produced with oil and gas and how is it managed? 3. What is the quality of produced water? 4. Can we reuse produced water for hydraulic fracturing? 5. Can we treat produced water for use in other sectors? SWD= 8 × HF water use Bakken Potential for Reusing Produced Water in OK for Hydraulic Fracturing 2009-2017 Billion gal 49 75 Marcellus-Utica Niobrara 28 5.4 96 9.4 480 Oklahoma Fayetteville X64 24 HF Barnett 74 Unc PW 34 130 180 SWD Haynesville Permian 30 16 Eagle Ford 110 61 Volume (109 gal/yr) 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 0 2009 by Ratios HF to in PW Variations Temporal HF > PW Eagle Ford 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2009 to HF PW 2010 Bakken 2011 2012 ↑ 2013 rel 2014 2015 2016 2017 Marcellus-Utica 2009 HF >> PW 2010 2011 HF water use 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Play 2017 2009 HF > PW 2010 Midland 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2009 2016 = HF PW 2 2010 Delaware 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2009 PW>>HF Oklahoma 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 0 50 100 150 200 250 Volume 109 L/yr) PW >> HF in Delaware Basin Bakken limits potential for reuse of PW 57,000 wells Projected Totals - Billion gal 590 2,800 10,300 Midland Basin Hydraulic 106,000 wells fracturing Produced 240 Water (PW) Delaware Basin 192,000 wells Eagle Ford 87,000 wells PW >> HF in Delaware Basin Bakken limits potential for reuse of PW 57,000 wells Projected Totals - Billion gal 370 590 2,800 1,900 2,800 Midland Basin Hydraulic 10,300 106,000 wells fracturing Produced 240 Water (PW) Delaware Basin 710 192,000 wells Eagle Ford 87,000 wells Basic Questions 1. How much water is used for hydraulic fracturing (source and quality of water)? 2. How much water is produced with oil and gas and how is it managed? 3. What is the quality of produced water? 4. Can we reuse produced water for hydraulic fracturing? 5. Can we treat produced water for use in other sectors? Water requirements for different sectors • Potable water, EPA regulations for major, trace, and organic constituents • Primary inorganic standards of concern: Fl (4 mg/L), Ra226+Ra228 combined (5 pico Curies, pCi/L), and U (30 ug/L).