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Permalink Reply by Edward Kane on May 12, 2011 at 5:00am

Wouldn't this be different at each site?  You could take samples and run an analysis.  I am involved in controlling foam and work with lots of wastewater treatment systems.  Those systems are changing all the time.  For us to determine what we are dealing with, we run an FTIR.  Once that is done, we then apply the correct defoamer chemistry to control foam.  In your case, you want to determine the flowback water composition.  A local lab could help. 

 

   

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Permalink Reply by Kathleen Elsie Gibbs on May 13, 2011 at 2:27am

Is it possible to place tags (like they do explosives) in the fracing fluids to trace where they go?

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Permalink Reply by craig on May 13, 2011 at 1:45pm

I would imagine that the molecular makeup of the individual compounds would be easily traceable without any additional steps necessary. 

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Permalink Reply by 0jw0dsu4txfuv on May 14, 2011 at 8:41am

Flowback back water is laden with many solids produced out of the Marcellus Shale. It has a heavy metals composition and can pick up some salt, along with whatever was in the frac fluid.

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Permalink Reply by Kathleen Elsie Gibbs on May 14, 2011 at 10:43am

Thank you Homer.

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Permalink Reply by Anthony Cialella on May 14, 2011 at 3:18pm

It is a combination of water and some chemicals, a lot less than most people would want you to believe,  minuscule compared to the roughly 5 millions gallons of water used to frac a well, sand that is used a a propant, and of course minerals from the geographic fomration it was injected into.

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