Ir. S.T., M.T.

DEVELOPMENT OF AN INNOVATIVE SCALING MITIGATION REACTOR FOR FORMATION WATER TREATMENT IN WATER INJECTION WELLS

Abstract

Produced water is one of the major by-products of oil and gas production activities and poses a significant environmental risk if not properly treated. The main issue associated with produced water is the high concentration of dissolved minerals that promote scaling, which can severely reduce the injection rate in water injection wells. Scale accumulation within the wellbore restricts flow, causing pressure buildup that leads to top tank formation on the surface. This condition often necessitates temporary shutdowns of oil production to prevent overflow in storage facilities, thereby reducing the efficiency of water injection operations and disrupting production continuity. This study aims to develop and evaluate the performance of the Scaling Mitigation Reactor (SMR), an innovative contact media system with a capacity of 1000 BWPD designed to condition produced water through direct interaction with a multi-layer combination of silica sand, activated carbon, and pumice. The SMR was designed for a flow rate of 0.00184 m³/s and a Hydraulic Loading Rate of 10 m/h, yielding an effective cross-sectional area of 0.66 m², a column diameter of 0.92 m, and a media volume of 0.397 m³, with an Empty Bed Contact Time of 361.26 seconds and a pressure drop of 0.098 psi. Laboratory evaluations indicated that the SMR achieved turbidity, dan TDS, reductions of 92%, dan 88% , respectively, along with a substantial decrease in the scaling index. These results confirm that SMR is an efficient, economical, and environmentally sustainable technology for mitigating scaling potential, enhancing water injection reliability, and maintaining oil production stability in field operations.