Mansour Al-Haddabi

Feasibility of salt production from inland RO desalination plant reject brine: a case study

Abstract Production and disposal of rej ect brine are an integral part of an overall desalination process. For inland desalination plants, this poses a serious challenge to operators, as the option of ocean disposal of rej ect brine is not available. Various disposal options such as reinjection, lined and unlined evaporation ponds and natural depressions (lake) are currently being used. An alternative approach is to further process the reject brine to extract all the salts. This has the advantages of being environmentally friendly and producing commercial products (i.e., salts and fresh water). A desktop profeasibility study using data from Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), operating plants in Bahja, Rima, Nimr and Marmul, confirmed the technical feasibility of treating reject brines in simple processing routes using SAL-PROC technology. SAL-PROC is an integrated process for sequential extraction of dissolved elements from inorganic saline waters in the form of valuable chemical products in crystalline, slurry and liquid forms. The process involves multiple evaporation and/or cooling, supplemented by mineral and chemical processing. An analysis indicated that various types of salts including gypsum, sodium chloride, magnesium hydroxide, calcium chloride, calcium carbonate, and sodium sulphate can be produced from the reject brine of PDO desalination plants. These products have an approximate market value of US

Morphed block-crack preferential sedimentation in a reservoir bed: a smart design and evolution in nature

895, 000 annually.

Impact of Treated Wastewater from Oil Extraction Process on Soil Physical Properties

Abstract A pedological study of the reservoir bed of Al-Khoud Dam, Oman, revealed an unusual sedimentation pattern which evolved into an intricate composition of silt blocks surrounded by vertical cracks and horizontal layers filled with a “proppant” sand. The discovered soil morphology reflects the complex topology of water motion (infiltration–seepage–evaporation) through the sand-filled cracks/layers and blocks during both the rare flood events and ensuing periods of ponding, and the long, intervening dry periods. These naturally formed soils demonstrate an ability to preserve a large quantity of water inside the silty blocks at depths of 0.5 to 1.5 m, despite the high temperature and dryness of the topsoil. The hydrological optimality and “smartness” of these soils is attributed to the unique block-crack system. Natural, lush vegetation was found in adjacent zones of the reservoir bed, and acted as a footprint of the shallow “fractured perched aquifer”. Planted “ivy” (Convolvulaceae) in the vertical face of one pedon showed intensive growth without irrigation. Soil moisture content data confirmed the hydrological immobility of water in the blocks if not depleted by transpiration. The novel phenomena reported unveil the possible alteration of soil heterogeneity for optimization of the soil–water system in arid zone soils. Editor D. Koutsoyiannis; Associate editor F.F. Hattermann Citation Al-Ismaily, S.S., Al-Maktoumi, A.K., Kacimov, A.R., Al-Saqri, S.M., Al-Busaidi, H.A., and Al-Haddabi, M.H., 2013. Morphed block-crack preferential sedimentation in a reservoir bed: a smart design and evolution in nature. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 58 (8), 1779–1788.

The estimation of reservoir brine properties during crude oil production using a simple predictive tool

Abstract Large quantities of water are usually produced in conjunction with oil production in Oman. Because this water is saline and heavily contaminated with oil, it is not suitable for domestic or agricultural uses. A short-duration comparative study on the effects of using treated oily-water and fresh water on soil physical properties has been performed. It was found from this study that the use of treated oily-water caused a sodicity problem, which has adverse effects on the soil physical properties of the soil such as infiltration rate, saturated hydraulic conductivity and pore size distribution. The reduction in the saturated hydraulic conductivity reached up to 43% of the initial value.

Use of Ceramic Membrane Technology for Sustainable Management of Oil Production Water: A Review

Most oil wells eventually produce some quantity of reservoir brine (formation water) over their lifetime. Increased water production is usually indicated by a significant increase in the water to oil ratio (WOR) of the well. As the WOR of well increases, it causes costly added water handling, it reduces efficiency of the depletion mechanism, the afflicted well may be abandoned early, there can be loss of the total field overall recovery, and because reservoir brine (formation water) is corrosive its disposal becomes expensive. In this work, a simple Arrhenius type function is presented for estimation of reservoir brine (formation water) properties for temperatures above 30°C and salt contents between 5% and 25% by mass. An Arrhenius type function has been selected because it is easier than existing approaches, less complicated with fewer computations, and suitable for engineers. These expressions can then be incorporated into further calculations that require predictions of reservoir brine (formation water) properties as functions of temperature and salt content. Estimations are found to be in excellent agreement with the reliable data in the literature with average absolute deviation being around 0.09–2.6%. The tool developed in this study can be useful for the petroleum engineers to have a quick check on the reservoir brine properties at various conditions without opting for any experimental measurements. In particular, chemical and petroleum engineers would find the proposed approach to be user-friendly with transparent calculations involving no complex expressions.

Chemical Report on Wild Growing Mentha arvensis and Citrullus colocynthus from Oman

The huge quantities of water produced along with oil make production of water one of the main challenges in the oil and gas industry. In the past, water produced in oil production was considered a tiresome by-product which represented a significant liability and cost to oil and gas production. Recently this attitude has changed and this water is now seen more as a resource than a by-product. By 2025, 2.8 billion people (from 48 countries) will be living in water-scarce and water-stressed countries. The Sultanate of Oman is considered a semi-arid country where the average annual rainfall is about 100 mm. Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) produces around 700,000 m3/day of water associated with hydrocarbon production. Currently under half of this amount is injected back into reservoirs as water for reservoir management. The production of excessive quantities of water is the reason behind abandoning oil and gas wells, leaving huge quantities of hydrocarbons behind. Upgrading of low quality water (i.e. oil production water) for greening the desert or growing biofuels is becoming a strategic enabler for the sustainable development of remote oil fields. Although opportunities exist for the beneficial use of oil production water, there may be situations where treatment may not be economically feasible. In addition to volume, water quality is the other key determinant of suitable management options. Due to the poor quality of oil production water which contains a complex mixture of organic and inorganic materials similar to those found in crude oil and natural gas, treatment might introduce potential economic, technological and environmental challenges. Another constraint for the management of oil production water is the regulatory framework which might cause restrictions to management options imposed by legislation. Economic constraints imposed by the costs associated with management options can influence the feasibility of particular management techniques. The application of ceramic membranes has shown great potential for oil in water separation and purification due to their superior mechanical, thermal and chemical stability and ease of generation after fouling. Very promising results were achieved by many researchers when using ceramic membranes for oily water treatment. In some studies the removal of oil, COD and TOC reach up to 99 %, 96 % and 94 %, respectively.

Simple predictive tool estimates sodium adsorption ratio for evaluation of potential infiltration problems using reclaimed wastewater

Abstract Mentha arvensis and Citrullus colocynthus are important medicinal plants for Arab people as herbal remedy. The present study was designed to evaluate the components present in wild growing Mentha arvensis and Citrullus colocynthus using various advanced analytical techniques. After wet digestion plants samples were analyzed for metal contents using flame photometric and inductively coupled plasma (ICP) analyses. Volatile compounds present in essential oil of Mentha arvensis were determined using Gas chromatographic coupled with Mass spectrometry. Fatty acid composition of Citrullus colocynthus was determined using Gas chromatograph equipped with flame ionization detector (FID). Linoleic acid was found as a major component of Citrullus colocynthus seed oil. Phenolics and flavonoids present in Mentha arvensis and Citrullus colocynthus were detected using High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). HPLC analysis of Citrullus colocynthus seed oil confirms the presence of anti-diabetic and cholesterol lowering compounds in it.

Land disposal of treated saline oil production water: impacts on soil properties

The physical and chemical characteristics of irrigation water are of particular importance. Sodium (Na) is one of the most problematic ions; when present in excessive concentrations it causes specific toxicity. In addition, another indirect effect of high Na content is the deterioration of the physical condition of soil such as formation of crusts, water logging, and reduced soil permeability. If the infiltration rate is greatly reduced, it may be impossible to supply the crop or landscape plant with sufficient water for good growth. In this work, a simple predictive tool, which is easier than existing approaches and requires fewer computations, is formulated to accurately predict the Na adsorption ratio as a function of concentrations of Na+, magnesium (Mg2+), and calcium (Ca2+); salinity of applied water; and the ratio of bicarbonate ( ) over Ca2+ for interpretations of water quality for irrigation. The proposed method showed consistently accurate results for salinity of applied water up to 8 dS m−1 and ratio of over Ca2+ up to 20. Predictions showed an excellent agreement with the reported data with average absolute deviation of less than 3%. This proposed simple-to-use approach can be of immense practical value for engineers and scientists who need quick checks on Na adsorption ratio at a wide range of conditions without the necessity of any time-consuming experimental runs. In particular, soil scientists and agricultural engineers would find the proposed approach to be user friendly because it involves transparent calculations with no complex expressions.