Modeling Decision Support and Economic Feasibility

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A modeling framework for technical, economic, energetic, and environmental assessment of produced water pretreatment from oil and gas industry.

Authors: Lugo, A., Mejía-Saucedo, C., Senanayake, P., Stoll, Z., Sitterley, K., Wang, H., Kota, K., Kuravi, K., Fthenakis, V., Kurup, P., Xu, P.

"This study modeled and assessed produced water (PW) pretreatment technologies for cost, energy use, and CO₂ emissions to support sustainable reuse and desalination. Evaluated methods—chemical softening, chemical coagulation, electrocoagulation (EC), and granular activated carbon (GAC)—targeted scaling and fouling constituents. For high-salinity Permian Basin PW (130,000 mg/L TDS), EC+GAC emerged as the optimal combination, balancing effectiveness and minimal waste. The framework enables informed selection and integration of pretreatment units for minimal- or zero-liquid discharge applications.

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Produced Water-Economic, Socio, Environmental Simulation Model (PW-ESEim) Model: Proof-of-Concept for Southeastern New Mexico.

Authors: Tidwell, V., Gunda, T., Caballero, M., Xu, P., Xu, X., Bernknopf, R., Broadbent, C., Malczynski, L.A., Jacobson, J.

“A proof-of-concept tool, the Produced Water-Economic, Socio, Environmental Simulation model (PW-ESESim), was developed to support ease of analysis. The tool was designed to facilitate head-to-head comparison of alternative produced water sources, treatment, and reuse water management strategies. A graphical user interface (GUI) guides the user through the selection and design of alternative produced water treatment and reuse strategies and the associated health and safety risk and economic benefits.”

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Analysis and Prediction of Produced Water Quantity and Quality in the Permian Basin using Machine Learning Techniques.

Authors: Jiang, W., Pokharel, B., Lin, L., Cao, H., Carroll, K.C., Zhang, Y., Galdeano, C., Musale, D.A., Ghurye, G.L., Xu, P.

“In this research, historical produced water (PW) quantity and quality data in the New Mexico portion (NM) of the Permian Basin were comprehensively analyzed, and then, various machine learning algorithms were applied to predict PW quantity for different types of oil and gas wells.”

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Novel systematic approach for produced water volume quantification applicable for beneficial reuse.

Authors: Eyitayo, S.I., Watson, M.C., Kolawole, O., Xu, P., Lawal, K.A., Wigwee, M.E., Alberto, G.

“This study employs decline-curve analysis (DCA), type-curves method, and historical drilling and production data to develop a new systematic method for quantifying and predicting PW volumes at the basin and other aggregate levels. The applicability and robustness of the proposed method are demonstrated using Permian Basin as a case study.”

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Produced Water Quality Spatial Variability and Alternative-Source Water Analysis Applied to the Permian Basin, USA.

Authors: Chaudhary, B., Sabie, R., Engle, M., Xu, P., Willman, S., Carroll, K.

“In this research, geochemical variability of produced water from Guadalupian (Middle Permian) to Ordovician formations was statistically and geo-statistically evaluated in the western half of the Permian Basin using the US Geological Survey’s Produced Waters Geochemical Database and the New Mexico Water and Infrastructure Data System.”

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iDST: An integrated decision support tool for treatment and beneficial use of non-traditional water supplies – Part I.

Authors: Geza, M., Ma, G., Kim, H., Cath, T.Y., Xu, P.

“In this study, a Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) - based integrated decision support tool was developed to select a combination of treatment technologies/trains for different types of alternative water sources (municipal wastewater, geothermal water) and beneficial reuse options (portable reuse, irrigation, surface discharge, and power plant cooling).”

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iDST: An integrated decision support tool for treatment and beneficial use of non-traditional water supplies – Part II.

Authors: Ma, G., Geza, M., Cath, T.Y., Drewes, J.E., Xu, P.

“This study presents an integrated decision support tool to assist in selecting treatment technologies and potential water reuse options for produced water considering the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania and the Barnett Shale in Texas as case studies.”

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