Course Description and Topics Covered

Contributions from unconventional gas resources, including gas shale, coal seams and tight sands, to the nation’s energy supply have grown significantly during the past 20 years and will play a key role in the nation’s energy portfolio in the future. For proper gas well development in coalbeds, water must be pumped out of the formation (dewatering) in order to reduce the hydrostatic head or reservoir pressure and allow the methane to desorb. The produced water generated during these operations is by far the largest volume byproduct or waste stream associated with gas production. Improved methods are needed to treat and handle produced water that result in sustainable beneficial use or re-injection into the subsurface at a cost that does not impede development of the associated gas resources. While produced water can provide a new source of water for communities, irrigation, and industries especially in the arid west, management and beneficial uses of CBM produced water are highly dependent on applicable regulations, produced water quality and quantity, price of gas and disposal costs, costs of water transportation and treatment, legal and institutional challenges (e.g., liability and water rights), and environmental impacts. The determination of a specific beneficial use depends on federal and state jurisdiction, and the circumstances of each case.

The workshop will discuss the opportunities and challenges associated with management of CBM produced water, and present an integrated decision making framework to manage and treat produced water that has the potential to substantially reduce the overall costs and enhance gas recovery and economic viability (and longevity) of CBM fields while minimizing potential environmental impacts. The workshop will cover the following topics:

• Current CBM produced water management practices
• Complex set of interactive regulatory and permitting requirements
• Beneficial use options and case studies
• Existing and emerging technologies for produced water treatment
• Key elements for development of a feasible and successful beneficial use project
• A decision making framework funded through RPSEA/DOE program and developed at Colorado School of Mines in collaboration with the Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) and Kennedy/Jenks Consultants, which is comprised of four modules:
  1. Water Quality Module;
  2. Treatment Selection Module
  3. Beneficial Use Screening Module
  4. Beneficial Use Economic Module

Instructor

Dr. Pei Xu has been involved for 18 years in water and wastewater treatment, specializing in wastewater treatment engineering; desalination; membrane processes; potable and non-potable water reuse; treatment and beneficial use of produced water. She completed her graduate and undergraduate studies in China, and obtained her PhD from the French Institute of Forestry, Agricultural and Environmental Engineering, in Paris. She joined the Colorado School of Mines in 2002 and is a Research Assistant Professor in the Division of Environmental Science and Engineering. Dr. Xu has served as PI, Co-PI and key researcher on desalination and membrane related projects funded by DOE/RPSEA, WateReuse Foundation, Water Research Foundation, and USBOR. She has authored over 30 papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals, 3 book chapters, 5 peer-reviewed technical reports published by WRF, AwwaRF and USBOR, and given over 50 presentations at national and international conferences.