Shale gas wastewater management under uncertainty

Area of Science:

• Environmental Engineering
• Water Resource Management
• Operations Research

Background:

• Hydraulic fracturing (HF) generates significant wastewater (FP water) with toxic chemicals and high TDS.
• Wastewater management is a critical environmental and public health challenge in shale gas production.
• Existing treatment/disposal options include underground injection, treatment plants, and reuse.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an optimization framework for evaluating wastewater treatment/disposal options during HF.
• To create a model (UO-FPW) that accounts for cost-effectiveness and system uncertainty.
• To aid in planning FP water management practices and treatment facility capacity.

Main Methods:

• Development of the UO-FPW optimization model.
• Incorporation of fuzzy membership functions and probability density functions to handle uncertainty.
• Application to a hypothetical case study to demonstrate practical use.

Main Results:

• The model reflects tradeoffs between minimizing costs and ensuring system reliability.
• It addresses the risk of violating constraints and meeting FP water treatment/disposal requirements.
• Demonstrates the model's applicability in practical decision-making.

Conclusions:

• The UO-FPW model provides a tool for optimizing FP water management strategies.
• Decision-makers can adjust strategies by refining feasibility and probability levels.
• The model can be integrated into decision support systems for shale oil/gas management.