Simulation and Sustainability Analysis for Produced Water Thermal Desalination Technologies

Simulation and Sustainability Analysis for Produced Water Thermal Desalination Technologies

Abstract

Produced water is the largest waste stream generated in oil and gas industries. Characterized by high salinity, environmental concerns and the prospect of beneficial uses have driven intensive research into produced water management. Dominant thermal desalination technologies include Multi-stage Flash (MSF) and Multi-effect Distillation (MED).  In this work, several multi-stage MSF and MED processes are simulated using Aspen Plus based on the plant data, and comparisons are made on multiple dimensions. In technological level, water recovery and gain output ratio (GOR) are the major indicators. For economic comparison, capital and operational costs (CAPEX & OPEX) are collected. The Waste Reduction Algorithm (WAR) is utilized for the evaluation of their environmental impacts.