As the oil and gas industry expands their operations from the exploration phase to the development phase in multiple shale plays, the demand for water is expanding rapidly. In many areas, the industry has increased the lateral length of the wells they are drilling, increased the number of stages hydraulically fractured during completions, decreased spacing between laterals, increased commonality of completing multiple wells simultaneously (e.g., Zipper Fracs), etc.. These expanding changes to unconventional development combined with a corresponding increase in the number of zones being hydraulically fractured and the increasing volume of water and sand being used per frac stage, meeting holistic water demands is requiring an ever increasing array of approaches and solutions, all of which have their own issues and economic considerations. For the industry to accomplish expanding development plans, they must procure sufficient water, deliver it where it is needed, build places to store it, and have facilities to recycle or dispose of the subject flow-back and produced water. This presentation will discuss a variety of approaches to water management and related issues (e.g., planning, design, installation, economics, environmental concerns, regulatory considerations, logistics, etc.).

Primary Author/Conference Presenter:
D. Steven Tipton
Sr. Consulting Engineer
ALL Consulting, LLC
Tulsa, OK USA