Water Treatment Market Worth USD4.3 Billion

"The pressure on operators to manage produced water is growing considerably - and will continue to do so in the future," explains Saif Rahman, Senior Consultant, OTM Consulting Ltd. "Our research from within the operator community itself shows that environmental and pollution regulation at local, regional or national levels is the main reason for their interest in the technology and the principle driver for innovation within the sector. "

In addition, the report identifies a range of other new technologies that can help operators deal successfully with produced water - including treatment, minimisation, separation and even re-use. It also examines a wide range of factors including target and actual site production rates, production chemistry and reservoir characteristics such as geology that have a major impact on the way in which produced water is managed.

The report provides detailed forecasts on market opportunities and growth potential for key produced water treatment equipment and technologies. In addition, it includes a selection of case studies that describe actual produced water projects undertaken by operators - including Chevron's application of compact flotation units at its Alba field, and ConocoPhillips' adoption of condensate based extraction technology at the Ekofisk field. It also presents the results of a detailed operator survey carried out amongst companies including BP, Chevron, Schlumberger, Shell and Total.

"Produced water is the single largest waste stream from hydrocarbon production. Daily water production volumes significantly exceed that of oil volumes, to the extent that 211 million barrels of water are produced by the industry daily compared to around 85 million barrels of oil. In this context, it is vital to deal efficiently and cost-effectively with produced water to ensure fully optimised production and compliance with national and regional regulations," concludes Steve Robertson, Director at Douglas-Westwood.