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Produced Water Challenges in the Middle East
The Middle East oil and gas sector is subject to increasingly strict environmental regulations on produced water discharge. Operators must meet oil-in-water (OIW) limits typically ranging from 10 to 40 mg/L, (10 - 40ppm) with some jurisdictions enforcing even lower thresholds.
Produced water volumes can reach 50,000 barrels per day (332 m³/hr), often at high temperatures (75 °C / 167 °F) and pressures (50 psig / 3.45 barg). Under these conditions, conventional treatment systems—such as gravity separators, hydrocyclones, dissolved air flotation (DAF) units, and biological treatment systems—often struggle to consistently meet compliance standards. These systems are typically limited by:
- Inefficiency in removing fine or emulsified oil droplets
- Sensitivity to flow rate, temperature, and pressure fluctuations
- High maintenance requirements and operational complexity
- Inadequate scalability for high-volume operations
Operators increasingly seek advanced, flexible solutions that deliver reliable performance without major capital investment.
Key market drivers include:
- Rising environmental penalties
- Pressure to improve operational efficiency
- Demand for flexible, rapidly deployable solutions that manage variable contamination levels without major capital investment in permanent infrastructure
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Challenge
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Solution
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Results
A major Middle East oilfield services company faced significant challenges:
- OIW Content: 198–390 ppm (avg. 286 ppm), far above the 50 ppm discharge limit
- TSS Target: <100 ppm
- Existing Systems: Unreliable, high maintenance
The company engaged Pall Corporation for a high-efficiency filtration solution via a 12-month rental agreement.
Pall engineers conducted comprehensive lab testing:
- TSS Analysis: Particle size distribution and content
- OIW Testing: Baseline contamination levels
- Compatibility Studies: Filter media performance under actual conditions
- Pilot Trials: Optimization of filter grades and coalescer configurations
Recommended System:
- Particulate Filtration: Two Pall Ultipleat® High Flow vessels with 18 polypropylene elements each
- Liquid/Liquid Separation: One PhaseSep® EL coalescer vessel with 68 cartridges
- Delivery: Within 3 weeks from Pall’s rental fleet
Installation and commissioning
Pall technical specialists provided:
- On-site supervision and commissioning
- Lab testing protocols to verify performance
- 3-day training for customer personnel on sampling and testing procedures
Outstanding Performance & Compliance
The installation delivered outstanding results, going well beyond expectations in both performance and impact.
- OIW Removal: 98.8% efficiency
- Discharge Levels: Avg. 3.2 ppm* (range: 1–7 ppm)
- Uptime: 98.8% at optimal conditions
- Compliance: Exceeded regulatory discharge standards
- Method: EPA 1664 for oil and grease analysis
* per EPA Method 1664, the standard analytical procedure used to measure oil and grease in water samples, including injection water downstream of a coalescer.
Inlet / outlet Oil-in-water condition
Inlet / outlet TSS water condition
Financial Impact
- No capital investment required
- Reduced chemical usage and disposal costs
- Avoided environmental fines
- Predictable monthly rental fees and consumables pricing
Conclusion: Scalable, Compliant, Cost-Effective
This successful deployment demonstrates how Pall’s rental filtration systems can:
- Rapidly transform produced water treatment
- Deliver immediate environmental compliance
- Preserve capital resources
Following this success, the client plans to deploy Pall’s solution at two additional sites.