Paper: The Handling of Produced Salt Water for Injection

Since the beginning of oil production, salt water handling has presented problems. However, recent years have brought about significant changes in attitudes and approaches to gathering, pumping and injecting large volumes of salt water. Political implication, landowner relations. And regulatory decrees have demanded increased controls on salt water disposal. The lack of, or inhibited use of, fresh water have forced greater dependence on salt water sources for waterflood. In combination, these factors have created new concepts. Water handling is no longer regarded as a side-line necessity. It is often a controlling factor in profitable oil producing operations. Efforts are constantly being directed to finding better and cheaper ways to handle large salt water volumes. New technology has joined old experiences in overcoming serious problems. This paper reviews some of the primary problems and presents methods of approach toward their solution. Caution and danger conditions are discussed. Symptom signals and control measures are described. Emphasis is placed on the systematic acquisition of appropriate data. A simplified chemical material balance concept, utilizing standardized data presentation techniques, is suggested as a way for the production engineer to derive a quantitative expression of "water quality".