Solar-powered desalination pilot advances treatment of hypersaline oilfield water in Permian Basin
A pilot desalination facility in the Permian Basin is demonstrating a solar-powered approach to treating high-salinity produced water from oil and gas operations. The system, developed through a collaboration between Sunvapor, Inc. and Southeast New Mexico College (SENMC), is located at a commercial saltwater disposal well operated by NGL Water Solutions Permian LLC.
The pilot facility has a treatment capacity of approximately 70 barrels per day and is designed to handle produced water with salinity levels of approximately 130,000 ppm. The treatment process yields a distillate with a significantly reduced salt content, below 400 ppm.
The facility uses a patented desalination process that combines two thermal processes: an evaporation topping process and a membrane distillation bottoming process. The integration of these processes enables high thermal efficiency and recovery ratios when treating hypersaline oilfield water. The system operates without the use of electricity and instead uses steam to drive the desalination process.
It operates on solar energy and includes thermal battery technology to support continuous, round-the-clock operation. Using alternative energy to produce steam helps reduce operating expenses as well as greenhouse gas emissions associated with fuel use.
Produced water is a by-product of oil extraction and accounts for the largest waste stream generated during these activities. In the Permian Basin, the most productive oil region in the United States, about five barrels of produced water are generated for every barrel of oil extracted. Due to the high volumes and hypersaline nature of this water, reuse within oilfield operations is limited, and the remaining volumes are currently injected into saltwater disposal wells.
Desalination technologies can lower the volume of wastewater requiring injection by up to 50%. The treated water produced, if it complies with environmental quality standards, may be suitable for agricultural, industrial or other uses.
The pilot facility was constructed under a contract with the New Mexico Economic Development Department and is also being used by SENMC as a training platform to support the development of a skilled workforce in sustainable water treatment technologies.