Clean water

US Department of Energy-funded research has resulted in the commercialisation of a technology designed to bolster supplies of two of America’s most critical natural resources: natural gas and water.

The technology, developed by Drake Engineering of Helena, MT, helps producers of coalbed natural gas (CBNG) clean up co-produced water for beneficial uses while addressing water shortages in the west of the US.

As coal is formed underground, methane is trapped within the coal. And water in the coalbeds helps create the pressure that keeps the methane adsorbed to it. In order to produce CBNG, it’s necessary to pump the water to the surface to lower the pressure in the coalbed reservoirs, which then stimulates the release of methane.

At least 15,000 CBNG wells have been drilled in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming and Montana. However, some landowners and environmental groups worry that the water produced from them, if used in irrigation or discharged onto the land, could alter the soil’s structure and chemistry.

To help with the problem, Drake Engineering first designed and developed a prototype of a lab-tested fluid-bed resin exchange treatment system to test out the feasibility of its system.

After its success, Drake patented and commercialised the process and has since field-tested it in Powder River Basin CBNG operations. Equipment leasing contracts are now being issued by the company.