Key challenges and countermeasures for treatment and disposal of gas field produced water in China

Abstract

The low cost,safe and efficient disposal of gas field produced water has become the main factor restricting the stable production of natural gas in China. It is of great significance to solve the problem of treatment and disposal of gas field produced water to ensure national energy security. Therefore,based on a brief review of the current situation of water production in major gas fields in four major onshore petroliferous basins in China, the key challenges faced by the treatment and disposal of produced water from gas fields in China were analyzed, and countermeasures and suggestions for the treatment and disposal of gas field produced water were proposed. The research results show that most of the gas fields distributed in the Ordos Basin, Tarim Basin, Sichuan Basin and Qaidam Basin in China are facing the situation of simultaneous production of gas and water and the sharp increase of water production. Under the strategic goal of “double carbon”, key challenges include the increasing amount of water on the produced surface of gas fields, the lack of national level reinjection management systems and standards, the high cost of meeting surface discharge standards and limited application areas, and the early stage of comprehensive resource utilization. It is necessary to strengthen the research on the overall water control of gas reservoirs, improve the reinjection management and technical standard system of gas field produced water at the national level, promote the low-cost comprehensive resource utilization of gas field produced water, and expand the new path of gas field produced water disposal. The conclusions indicate that the gas reservoirs in China are diverse, and the geological, geomorphological, hydrological and climatic conditions are complex and changeable. It is necessary to promote the reinjection disposal, surface discharge and comprehensive utilization of produced water from gas fields according to local conditions, so as to support the realization of the strategic objectives of “stabilizing oil and increasing gas” and “double carbon” in China.

Keywords

• gas field produced water
• reinjection
• stabilize oil and increasing gas
• groundwater environmental protection
• comprehensive utilization
• carbon dioxide geological storage