| abstract |
The invention relates to the treatment of water, including for example treatment in connection with hydrocarbon production operations. Silica in water produces undesirable scaling in processing equipment, which causes excess energy usage and maintenance problems. Electrocoagulation (EC) at relatively high water temperature, followed by any of membrane distillation or forward osmosis (FO), may be combined with a subsequent process of ceramic ultra-filtration (UF filtration) employed to treat water. Water to be treated may be produced water that has been pumped from a subterranean reservoir. The treated water may be employed to generate steam. The treatment units (e.g., EC, forward osmosis, UF filtration, etc) can be configured into one system as an on-site installation or a mobile unit for on-site or off-site water treatment. |