New Water Management System
Swire Oilfield Services, LLC, the leading global supplier of cargo carrying solutions, modular systems, offshore aviation services and fluid management, has launched HydroLutions, a water management system that is revolutionizing the way water is transferred during the hydraulic fracturing process.
HydroLutions is a game-changing technology that handles fluid management at every stage of a hydraulic fracturing job, saving operators’ time and money while offering sustainable solutions that prevent soil and water pollution. The system also mitigates safety risks by minimizing the need for labor during deployment, operation and retrieval.
HydroLutions has successfully completed a series of commercial jobs in the Permian Basin and Eagle Ford Shale and has garnered significant customer interest.
“Swire Oilfield Services is committed to sustainability and safety,” said Steve Hardwick, president of Swire Oilfield Services North America. “HydroLutions is completely transforming our industry, and we are thrilled with the outpouring of interest shown in the system. We are committed to growing our onshore service offering, while conserving the environment and protecting individuals.”
A key component of HydroLutions is the HydroDrive water transfer system, which features high-volume pumps, discharge manifolds, a specially designed retrieval and deployment system and a leak-free, flexible pipe that is available in multiple sizes.
This water transfer system is unique to the oil industry. The pipe can be manipulated to curve around the land, does not leak like traditional aluminum pipes, and produces 140 bbl per minute flow-rate, which is significantly greater than any other water transfer system.
Apache Corporation was one of the first operators to adopt the system.
“Manipulating the lay-flat hose to curve and bend around the locations and frac ponds without using 45-90 degree angles has saved us a lot of time and money,” said Rob Poole, Senior Completions Engineer for Apache Corporation. “Transferring water at 140 bbl per minute was unheard of until now.”
Generally, aluminum pipe and agricultural pumps have been used to transfer water to the fracturing site. Aluminum pipes leak and can dump non-potable water across land, polluting the soil and ground water. Leaking pipes cost operators thousands of dollars, especially in areas like the Permian Basin where water sources are scarce.
“Up until now, we have always used aluminum pipe to transfer water during a frac job, which caused multiple problems,” Poole said. “Some of our locations would be partially flooded due to water leaking out of the connections every 30 feet. We would end up losing so much of the water in the desert soil.”
HydroDrive’s extruded through-the-weave single-wall Thermal Plastic Urethane (TPU) lay-flat pipe also deploys quickly and safely, requiring no lifting and fewer workers than are traditionally needed to lay aluminum pipe. The broad spectrum of HydroDrive components means that the system is customizable to meet the demands of each customer’s unique completion.
Other services offered within the HydroLutions system include HydroTech, a world-class blending system for completions operations with a full range of additives to meet any customer’s needs, and HydroClean, an innovative approach to water reclamation and the associated expertise to restore water to a reusable level.