Flowback water
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| - | '''Flowback water''' (aka backflow water) from [[Hydrofracturing|fracing]] oil and gas wells, that is, the fluid which returns to the surface, can be anywhere from 33 to 50 percent of the volume that is forced down a well. | + | '''Flowback water''' (aka backflow water) from [[Hydro-fracturing|fracing]] oil and gas wells, that is, the fluid which returns to the surface, can be anywhere from 33 to 50 percent of the volume that is forced down a well. |
| This flowback may be characterized as having high salinity and [[Total dissolved solids|total dissolved solids]] (TDS). It is laden with the same fracing chemicals that were pumped into the well, in addition to [[Produced water|unique contaminants]] that are present in the rock formation below. | This flowback may be characterized as having high salinity and [[Total dissolved solids|total dissolved solids]] (TDS). It is laden with the same fracing chemicals that were pumped into the well, in addition to [[Produced water|unique contaminants]] that are present in the rock formation below. | ||
Revision as of 19:18, 22 February 2010
Flowback water (aka backflow water) from fracing oil and gas wells, that is, the fluid which returns to the surface, can be anywhere from 33 to 50 percent of the volume that is forced down a well.
This flowback may be characterized as having high salinity and total dissolved solids (TDS). It is laden with the same fracing chemicals that were pumped into the well, in addition to unique contaminants that are present in the rock formation below.
The retuning fluid is generally collected in pits that are lined with plastic. The pit is then pumped dry, and the water is usually either recycled for fracing additional wells or else trucked off site to a waste water disposal facility. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has formed a partnership with the oil and gas industry to research and develop innovative new methods of recycling and treating flowback water.
Municipal sewage disposal plants were never designed to handle flowback water, yet existing and planned treatment facilities are believed to be adequate at least for the current level of Marcellus shale drilling in Pennsylvania.
