Powerful Chemistries Pair Attractive Returns With Environmental Gains

Infinity CEO, Michael Dyson, talks with Colter Cookson from American Oil & Gas Reporter (AOGR) about how Infinity is reshaping water management in the Permian Basin. Below is a preview from the AOGR this month’s Oil Field Chemistry Sneak Peak.

The conversation around water management is evolving rapidly, says Michael Dyson, chief executive officer of Infinity Water Solutions. “When we sat down with operators a few years ago, the conversation often focused on the benefits of recycling produced water,” he recalls. “That conversation does not happen anymore. Operators are keenly aware of recycling’s benefits, so their primary question is how quickly they can implement recycling in their operations.”

Pipelines and storage facilities will be critical to recycling’s growth, Dyson argues. “On any given day, some operators experience a flood of produced water that far exceeds their needs while others experience a drought of source water. With pipelines, storage and the right treatment technologies, we can take excess water from one area and send it where it is needed,” he outlines.

Toward that end, Infinity has built a water sharing network that covers 150,000 acres in the southeast corner of New Mexico. “We started with a singular truck facility off Highway 128 in New Mexico. Through a four-mile pipeline, this facility now connects to our full-state recycling facility, the Mills Ranch No. 1, which can process 75,000 bbl/d of produced water. When we finish with the last bit of storage there, it will be able to hold as much as a 2.5 million barrels.”

By year-end, Infinity plans to bring on line a third facility with the working name Mills 19. Like the Mills Ranch No. 1, this facility will be able to process 75,000 barrels a day and store more than 2 million barrels, Dyson describes. He says an eight-mile pipeline will link the facility and Mills Ranch.

“When the Mills 19 enters service, we will have three networked facilities, each of which can receive, treat and store water,” he says. “Because they are connected, we can use water from the Mills 19 to replenish storage in the Mills Ranch No. 1 or vice versa. This flexibility will let nearby operators source water from a local facility to reduce transportation costs.”

Next year, Dyson says Infinity plans to build a storage and treatment site south of the existing network. Dubbed BAR No. 1, this facility will connect to the company’s existing network through a 28-mile pipeline.

“As the market encourages or demands, we will continue to build out additional facilities. We envision any number of connections spidering off the main trunk line,” he says.

In addition to expanding its infrastructure, Dyson says Infinity is developing treatment technologies. For example, it has a patented process for introducing ozone, an oxidizer that kills bacteria and other contaminants.

“This process distributes the ozone more evenly, but it is more expensive than standard techniques, so for now, we reserve it for water that is difficult to treat,” he says.

Dyson points out that the Permian Basin produces more barrels of water than oil, with some estimates putting the ratio at six to one. “We are far from the only ones innovating in this space,” he stresses. “At every stage of water treatment and transportation, there are smart people collaborating on better solutions. We all recognize that managing produced water efficiently will have phenomenal benefits.”

Dyson says broadening produced water applications will be key. “One of the biggest challenges of managing the water is location; it may not be needed where it originates,” he illustrates. “Transporting large volumes across long distances can be expensive. By making produced water attractive to farmers and other industries, we can find markets for it closer to the source.”

Read the full article from AOGR here.