Distiller shows cost advantage in produced-water task

Evaluation of a 1 MGD (3,785 m³/d) thermal system in support of a produced-water application in a North American oilfield has led manufacturer Sylvan Source Inc (SSI) to claim additional breakthrough performance and cost-structure results for its technology.

Based on the completed results, independent evaluations estimated SSI’s thermal industrial system at ¼ to ⅓ of the equipment cost of conventional thermal or reverse osmosis (RO) technologies and approximately 50% of their operating costs. In terms of performance, the SSI technology demonstrated significant reductions of a wide range of organic and inorganic compounds, in most cases to non-detectable levels, exceeding customer expectations.

“We were delighted to be selected for this opportunity and to participate in this important evaluation,” said Laura Demmons, chairman and chief executive officer of SSI. “We always appreciate working with established world-class experts to ensure we have independent validation for our cost structure and performance advantages.”

In 2012, SSI, in a similar evaluation, commissioned an independent seawater desalination application benchmark. The evaluation concluded that SSI’s system offered 18-45% lower water production costs versus comparable conventional thermal and RO technologies.

The SSI system consists of a degasser followed by a distiller and a demister. A fundamental advantage of the SSI system is its use of a heat-transfer mechanism that is more efficient than conventional heat-exchangers and can utilize a wide range of heat sources, including solar and waste heat.

In both evaluations, the system’s performance and cost structures were evaluated by independent outside consultants including, for desalination, Aker Solutions Power & Gas, Water Consultants International and SRI International, and most recently, comparable experts from the oil and gas industry.