GE and memsys Achieve Technology Milestone for Unconventional Gas Water Treatment

GE and memsys Achieve Technology Milestone for Unconventional Gas Water Treatment

• Membrane Distillation Technology Replicates Conventional Thermal Evaporation Process While Using Less Energy and Lowering the Cost and the Carbon Footprint of Evaporation
• Field Project Proves Effective for High-Salinity Produced Water

TREVOSE, PA.—September 23, 2013—After 200 hours of continuous operation at a Texas-based commercial disposal well, GE (NYSE: GE) andmemsys® clearwater Pte. Ltd.announced success for a new vapor compressor-driven membrane distillation (MD) system. memsys and GE will further discuss the development and use of MD to treat produced water at the "Water and Energy 2013" conference that takes place in Houston, Texas, on September 25, 2013.

The new system, which is used to concentrate produced water from the hydraulic fracturing process, was designed to reduce produced water disposal costs and enable water reuse. The joint project demonstrated that MD combined with vapor compression can handle the high-salinity produced waters associated with unconventional gas exploration and production. The field test has yielded positive results, which include:

• 100 percent process uptime without any noticeable decline in performance or need for cleaning.
• Stable performance with brine concentrations near saturation.
• Lower energy consumption compared to conventional technology.
• High distillate quality.

"As the cost of brine concentration comes down it will enable more sustainable treatment options compared to trucking and deep well disposal," said Bill Heins, general manager, thermal products—water and process technologiesfor GE Power & Water. "Since the cleaned water from the process can be reused it also will reduce the amount of fresh water needed per well, thereby further reducing costs and ecological impact."

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• Oil & Gas