Oil Drilling and Salt Water Disposal

In the oil drilling and saltwater disposal industry, companies must properly dispose of saltwater (used in oil production) from oil-production sites.

Overview

In the oil drilling and saltwater disposal industry, companies must properly dispose of saltwater (used in oil production) from oil-production sites. Oil drilling and/or saltwater disposal companies store this wastewater, which often has residual oil in it following extraction from the ground, in outdoor disposal pits according to regulatory guidelines.

Removing the residual oil from the saltwater is important for environmental, operational and profitability reasons, including the following:

• Prevents the evaporation of VOCs from oil in disposal pits, increasing environmental responsibility
• Extends the life of the disposal well and reduces well maintenance
• Increases profit as recovered oil can be sold and often holds significant dollar value
• Presents increased opportunity for reusing or recycling process and production water

Applications

Common applications for oil removal in the oil drilling and saltwater disposal industry, include:

• Drilling site oil removal from flowback water resulting from the oil extraction process (clean before reuse)
• Outdoor disposal pits and ponds containing process or production water
• Holding tanks a wastewater disposal sites/injection wells in which oil can be removed from prior to deep well disposal/injection (can clog well if not properly treated prior to disposal)