Aqua-Pure Ventures

From Wikimarcellus

Calgary, Alberta-based Aqua-Pure Ventures (TSX Venture: AQE) is a wastewater treatment company that specializes in treating shale gas wastewater. It has extensive treatment experience with wastewater from the Barnett shale. In August, 2009 a press release announced that the company had signed a long term contract with Eureka Resources LLC for two of its NOMAD units for treatment of Marcellus shale wastewater. These units were to be redeployed from the Texas area.

According to the press release, Aqua-Pure uses water evaporators to reduce the volume of wastewater that must be trucked and produced water disposal by up to 90%.

A later news account in October, 2010 clarified some of the major steps in Aqua-Pure's process:

Flowback water is trucked to a facility and stored in a lined feedwater pit surrounded by a protective birm. Several thousand barrels of waste water can be stored there.
The water is then pumped through a clarifier to remove solids. Essentially, salt water results. From there it is moved into storage tanks.
The water is then piped into NOMAD mobile evaporator units which heat the water to make steam. A steam compressor powered by natural gas from a nearby well heats the steam an additional 20 degrees.
The steam is used to help power the operation making it even more energy efficient.
Fresh distilled water is produced which is then stored in a lined pit that can hold several million gallons.
A concentrated brine is also produced that is stored in separate brine tanks.
The distilled water can be piped to neighboring wells for reuse.

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