A Texas-based private company, PDS Energy Information (PDS), recently announced that it is commercially operating AquaTrade — a tool developed by an NETL-led team that helps oil and gas operators find and use produced water from other operators, reducing the need to use freshwater and costs associated with disposal of used water.

Through an online easy-to-use portal, AquaTrade encourages responsible water use during the production of U.S. hydrocarbon resources. It was developed under Project PARETO, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Produced Water Optimization Initiative, a collaborative project led by NETL in partnership with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Ground Water Protection Council.

Virtually all oil & gas wells produce high-salinity brine along with hydrocarbons. That brine is widely known as produced water. Well operators are generally faced with the cost of treatment and disposal of produced water to allow for the continuous flow of oil & gas.

Produced water management is an integral part of operations throughout the nation. Due to its elevated salinity, produced water usually cannot be discharged to the surface environment without treatment. However, it can be recycled for hydraulic fracturing for new oil and gas wells, reducing the need to source fresh or brackish water. That’s where AquaTrade comes in.

According to NETL’s Markus Drouven, who serves as technical director for the effort, AquaTrade allows operators with produced water from an active well to connect with other nearby operators seeking to fracture a new well.

“It’s often a win-win proposition. The producer does not have to pay for the costly treatment or disposal of the water, and the developer of the new well can save on water acquisition costs,” Drouven said.

Before AquaTrade became available, water-sharing relied on word of mouth, text messages or phone calls to identify water recycling opportunities.

“AquaTrade is built on the recognition that water — produced or otherwise — has inherent value. With this portal, we are simply using a tried-and-tested technique to bring this value to light while ensuring prudent water use,” Drouven said.

Produced water management remains a challenge. In the Delaware sub-basin alone, operators may produce up to 10 barrels of water for every barrel of oil, creating immense logistical, economic and environmental pressure. AquaTrade contributes to addressing this challenge by enabling anonymous matchmaking between water supply and demand using advanced market-clearing algorithms.

“DOE built powerful optimization tools, but it takes a connected industry partner to unlock their full impact,” Barry Barksdale, president and founder of PDS Energy said. “With over 400 participating operators already connected through our exchanges, we’re uniquely positioned to bring scale, security and continued innovation to this platform.”

Operators and water transporters interested in participating can learn more at www.pdsenergy.com/aquatrade.

About PDS Energy
PDS Energy is the leading provider of secure data exchange platforms serving the upstream and midstream oil and gas industry. PDS enables seamless collaboration through services like the Well Data Exchange (WDX), Frac Interference Exchange (FracX), Production Data Exchange, Gas Balancing Exchange, E-Ticket Exchange, and now AquaTrade. PDS clients include all major Permian operators and over 95% of Fortune 500 energy companies. Learn more at www.pdsenergy.com.

About NETL
NETL is a DOE national laboratory dedicated to advancing the nation's energy future by creating innovative solutions that strengthen the security, affordability and reliability of energy systems and natural resources. With laboratories in Albany, Oregon; Morgantown, West Virginia; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, NETL creates advanced energy technologies that support DOE’s mission while fostering collaborations that will lead to a resilient and abundant energy future for the nation.