American Oil and Gas Reporter - June 2019 - 59

recycling and recover residual hydrocarbons, which are then
returned to the operator for sale to the market. The SwiftWater
Automated Treatment (SWAT™) system chemically treats produced
water and provides accurate ongoing chemical dosage to ensure
the water is treated to exact specifications. Its web-based, realtime monitoring and control gives operators on-demand access
to treatment and recycling operations 24 hours a day, with a
transparent view of the chemistry and its efficacy.
Our on-the-fly water treatment system for both produced
and freshwater contains EPA-approved biocides to prevent or
eliminate 100 percent of the bacteria and remove sulfides prior
to fracturing. The system uses the flow of water in the transfer
line to generate the biocides and automatically stops when flow
is interrupted to ensure a safe work environment. The automated
blending solution can treat diverse types of water with an
automated blending controller and a patented, on-the-fly blending
manifold. The system measures input and outbound fluid conductivity and automatically adjusts flow rates in real time to
achieve the specified blend, thereby minimizing variation in
frac fluid quality while maximizing the use of produced water.
TETRA Steel™ double-jacket, flexible lay-flat hose and
patented Rapid Deployment and Retrieval Vehicle are revolutionizing onsite water transfer. The hose includes zero-discharge
couplings and allows for higher operating pressures than a single-jacket hose. These products improve operational efficiency,
reduce risk to the environment and to personnel, and lessen the
impact on landowner properties.
Finally, our Automated Distribution Manifold (ADM) facilitates
more efficient and predictable management of frac water buffer

TREATING

ON THE

volumes in real time, with computer control of tank levels to
ensure a steady supply of frac fluid while preventing tank
overflow. It can independently control and monitor up to 10 frac
tanks, and it can be configured for varying output levels depending
on operational needs, reducing the uncertainty of water provision
and helping to ensure continuous operation. Additional ADM
systems can be linked to manage more frac tanks seamlessly.

With per-well fluid and proppant and volumes continuing
to climb, how do you see water supply challenges
shaping up going forward? Will more water come from alternative
sources such as brine reservoirs? Will greater volumes of produced
and flowback water be treated and reused in fracturing?
FANGUY: The demand for water will grow exponentially over

the next few decades, so formations with brine and nonpotable
water may indeed become more integral to unconventional
strategies. Down the road, municipal wastewater might be another
source as well. Obviously, the more dissolved solids and other impurities in the sourced water, the more it will have to be treated.
Capturing and treating such waters must be cost-effective.
Treating and reusing produced water at the frac site is very
economical. In fact, it is a win-win for operators. The more produced water they can use, the less freshwater they will need to
source, and the less produced water they will need to then haul
and dispose of. That reduces both costs and risks, and makes
operations more efficient. Where the water management solution
recovers residual hydrocarbons that can be sold, the captured
product actually can offset the cost of the water system.

FLY

On April 1, De Nora announced its acquisition of a majority interest in Neptune Enterprises, forming De Nora
Neptune LLC. How do the two companies' technology and service
offerings complement each other, and what do the combined capabilities look like?

GONZALEZ: Neptune has specialized in on-the-fly frac
water treatment and cost-effective produced water recycling

services, and De Nora is a leader in on-the-fly water disinfection
and treatment technologies. The Neptune acquisition allows De
Nora to begin indirectly offering our technologies by directly
servicing operators in the Permian Basin and beyond. De Nora
Neptune is now providing more than just the technology; it is
delivering that technology as a service. It also allows De Nora
to provide high levels of on-the-ground support and service

Alex Gonzalez is director of operations at De Nora Neptune. Before Neptune Enterprises was
acquired by De Nora in April, Gonzalez had served for five years as the company's president. He
previously served in executive roles at BioCatters LLC, River Bend and Bosque Systems. He holds a
degree in management from Texas A&M University.

ALEX GONZALEZ
Director of operations
De Nora Neptune
JUNE 2019 59

American Oil and Gas Reporter - June 2019

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