Evaporation King (EK) uses the following comparative example of current disposal methods considered in drilling operations. The main focus is EK’s Gladiator-120 enhanced evaporation system versus the industry standard of trucking and injection.
“The main cost associated with handling produced water is transportation.” – OilandGas360.com
“Operators report trucking costs average $1.00 to $3.00 per barrel of water. The average cost of sourcing and disposing is $1.09 per barrel.” – Oklahoma Water
Trucking to Evaporation Pond/Injection Well Disposal Site
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One disposal truck holds ~100 barrels or 4200 gallons of produced water.
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Average round-trip travel from the well to the disposal site is 25 miles.
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Increased diesel emissions.
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Diesel disposal trucks average 2.4 mpg and add 10,180 grams of CO2 per gallon used.
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Typical Water Midstream companies average 5.2 Million truck miles that add over 20 million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere.
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Increased Dust emissions from driving on dirt roads.
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Significant Impacts on road surfaces with heavy loads.
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Potential to harm wildlife crossing on roadways.
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Potential for wrecks and spills.
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Still need to dispose of the produced water.
Cost per mile - Source: “2020 American Trucking Trends.” The American Trucking Associations. September 2020.
Injection Wells
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Initial drilling wells cost anywhere between $2 & $20 Million, depending on depth and volumes.
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Disposal costs average $0.42 - $0.75 per barrel.
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Injection well holes often breach local freshwater aquifers.
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No tracking method of what happens to the injected water.
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No long-term monitoring on wells.
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Clogging requiring more harsh chemicals to reopen.
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Limits on pressures which limits amounts of gallons downhole.
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Injection well seismic activity. Source: USGS
Injection Well Picture Source: Stanford University
EK’s Sustainable Gladiator-80 Advantage
A single Gladiator-120 average OPEX cost per 100 barrels evaporated using industrial grid power at $0.07 kWh is $7.00 including labor, making the Gladiator accelerated evaporation system the most economical choice for wastewater disposal equipment in the market.
The graph below shows the Gladiator-120 OPEX cost versus trucking and injection disposal OPEX cost per 100 barrels. The Gladiator-120 is almost 20 times more cost-effective than trucking and injection based on head-to-head costing.
Graph assumptions: $1.90 per mile trucking cost. $0.35 per barrel injection cost. 70% Evaporation rates.
Here are a few more sustainable reasons to consider EK’s Gladiator-120 and Gladiator PLUS for your next wastewater disposal project.
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Keeps pure water in the hydrologic cycle.
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Massive reduction in environmental-related damage.
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No trucking cost, diesel emissions, or road damage.
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No Earthquakes.
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Handles high TDS & TSS water with no pre-treatment.
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Quiet operation.
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Lowest energy consumption.
Is it time to consider using an EK’s enhanced evaporation system as an alternative to trucking and injection? If yes, please use the button below to contact one of our evaporation specialists.
