Overviewe of Efforts to Reduce High Recovery and Zero Liquid Discharge Costs

Over thirty companies, involving a wide range of technologies, are focusing on reducing the cost of high recovery desalination processing. A primary driver has been the potential of significant new markets for high recovery processing in unconventional oil and gas industries. High recovery processes are cost intensive and reduction in cost is necessary for new companies and their technologies to compete with established companies and conventional high recovery technologies. To date, new companies and technologies have had little impact on the marketplace due to several reasons including: Dampened activity in the unconventional oil and gas industries due to the depressed economy and low oil and gas prices; Unconventional oil and gas industries finding lower cost or temporary alternative solutions to high recovery processing; Slow progress of the companies with alternative high recovery technologies in finding appropriate applications and demonstrating significant advantages over conventional technologies. The potential of new technologies and modification of conventional technologies to reduce high recovery costs and impact the marketplace is high, however, with major questions surrounding which technologies will be successful and in what time frame. The paper discusses high recovery markets, reviews the incentives for new companies to pursue high recovery processing, identifies technology areas and the approaches taken to reduce both capital and operating costs, reviews the challenges companies face in making it to and competing in the marketplace, and discusses the difficulties of evaluating the status and potential of alternative high recovery technologies.

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