The crude oil production site at the Tempa Rossa oil field in Corleto Perticara—in the Basilicata region of southern Italy—will use GE’s evaporator and zero liquid discharge (ZLD) technology, which is expected to recycle up to 98 percent of produced water.
Total E&P Italia S.p.A. has six wells in the Tempa Rossa oil field, and GE will provide the ZLD technology to engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor Maire Tecnimont S.p.A, who is overseeing the development of the project for Total E&P Italia.
The Tempa Rossa project, along with the nearby Val d’Agri oil field, will create enough oil to meet approximately 10 percent of Italian oil needs.
The Tempa Rossa oil field needed an energy-efficient solution to treat the water and meet stringent discharge regulations, and Total E&P Italia felt GE’s ZLD technology was capable of meeting those needs.
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When producing crude oil, the water that is pumped as a byproduct is called produced water. Oil wells can produce enormous quantities of water, and this produced water needs to be treated or hauled away from the site.
At the Tempa Rossa oil field, GE’s ZLD crystallizers will demineralize the produced water, which will be available for firefighting. The remaining brine will be concentrated into solid salt crystals for disposal.
The ZLD technology is designed to treat up to 52 m3/h of feedwater per line and will be capable of recovering up to 98 percent of produced water as distillate and solids. The delivery is expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2015, with installation by the third quarter of 2015.
