Water Production Greatly Affects Oil & Gas Economics

In oil and gas production, water is undeniably the largest byproduct. For every barrel of oil produced, there are 3 to 10 barrels of water produced as a result. Consequently, salt-water disposal (SWD) facilities can greatly affect the profitability of oilfields. The volatile oil and gas industry creates a need for efficient SWD processes.

To decrease operational costs and reduce the risk of damage to the environment, water midstream operators automate the process of controlling and monitoring saltwater disposal with SCADA systems.

How is SCADA Used by SWD Facilities?

Salt-water disposal facilities use SCADA systems to manage saltwater disposal wells and gathering systems. SWD facilities leverage SCADA to reduce downtime of equipment and assets, maximize water received, and reduce required equipment repairs. These operational objectives can help SWD companies to gain a competitive advantage in the industry:

• ‍Monitor tank levels, volumes, pressure readings, and more. SCADA provides real-time data on any device anywhere, anytime.‍

• Remotely Control pumps and SWD facility operations.‍

• Alarm for critical events, such as tank overflows, pipeline leaks, and pump failures. Operators can create custom alarm criteria that best suits the way they operate. ‍
• Decrease Downtime of essential assets and equipment. Remotely resolve problems when they arise. Downtime of equipment and assets can greatly affect a SWD company’s profitability. Water midstream companies can remedy issues with continuous monitoring and remote control of operations.‍‍

• ‍Reduce Risk by avoiding SWD spills and leaks. With SCADA technology, SWD facilities can reduce their risk of environmental harm and costly remediation fees and fines. ‍

• Custom Reporting simplifies accounting and compliance reporting processes. Define SWD data based on management’s preferences. Enhance data acquisition and analysis by transmitting data and displaying data online.‍

• Optimize Operations by maximizing water intake and injection capacity by fine-tuning pump performance and injection pressure.‍

• Increase Revenue generation by automating ticketing and billing processes.

Monitor and Control Salt-water Disposal Operations

Saltwater disposal companies use SCADA to monitor and control their SWD facilities and operations. Examples of monitored metrics and collected data include:

• Alarms and notifications for critical events or abnormal conditions

• Pump status, logic, and speed

• Temperatures, flow rates, tank levels, and pressure readings

• Water quality (conductivity, salinity, and pH)

• Volumes and injection rates

How SCADA Reduces Operating Costs and Enhances Safety

Manually downloading truck ticket information creates delayed haul ticket processing for water midstream operators. Additionally, this can cause inaccuracies regarding the saltwater composition. When personnel are required to drive to field sites and back to the head office, operators will experience higher operational costs and more safety risks because of the increased windshield time. Adding automation to the haul ticketing process eliminates drive time and reduces costs.

• Minimize operational cost and enhance safety by eliminating windshield time for manual downloads.

• Improve efficiency with remote access to salt-water disposal facilities, processing haul tickets, and by creating corporate visibility of haul data.

• Increase the accuracy of billing processes with real-time density metrics from meters.

SWD operators have a great responsibility to carefully control fluid movement, especially brackish water. It is essential to keep a close eye on tank overflows, pipeline leaks, and pump failures.

Streamline Saltwater Disposal Billing Processes with SCADA

SCADA solutions ensure accurate haul ticket information as well as empower operators to efficiently bill for ticket processing. The automation of SWD with SCADA technology creates faster and more accurate invoicing systems, while simultaneously minimizing operational costs, enhancing efficiencies, and increasing the safety of employees.

Why SWD Facilities Choose eLynx SCADA

Saltwater disposal operators choose SCADA providers like eLynx Technologies because of the robust functionality and the streamlined ticketing processes. eLynx Technologies has over 20 years of experience with automating SWD systems and alarm management to optimize operational efficiency and reduce environmental hazards.

The eLynx SCADA system is a scalable, cloud-based platform used by oil and gas operators to remotely monitor and control assets in the field. Authorized users can access SCADA and other data through the web interface and the mobile application. SWD automation is just one aspect of the data that the software system can deliver to operational personnel and authorized third parties.

‍