Specifically, oil companies will now be required to separate liquids and drilling mud from rock cuttings.  The liquids can then be hauled away for disposal or recycling rather than stored in reserve pits.

Governor Jack Dalrymple, who is part of the Commission, said, “We want to do away with open pits for production wastewater.  There are treatment processes available today to clean and recycle these waste liquids  so that we leave a lighter footprint on the environment. Our management and oversight must reflect improvements made possible through new technologies .”

Aware of the upcoming “No Reserve Pit” regulations, ND based Paragon Water Solutions tested conventional methods such as Centrifuges, Hydrocyclones, Filter Presses and Settling Tanks. In each scenario, they hauled out hundreds of barrels of dirty water, and replaced them with truckloads of clean water.

In January 2011, Paragon contacted ALAR Engineering Corporation, a manufacturer of wastewater separation and water recycling equipment, with a need to dewater water-based drilling mud from active circulating systems where other technologies failed. ALAR recommended the Auto-Vac®  rotary vacuum precoat drum; a self-cleaning filter that does not blind or cause bottlenecks, and is forgiving of wastewater variances and thick oily sludge.

A trailer-mounted ALAR system, capable of filtering up to 800 barrels a day, was commissioned in April 2011. A year later the Auto-Vac® continues to filter a combination of wastewaters, producing dry solids and recyclable clean water without the cost and headaches.

Paragon noticed that the Auto-Vac® eliminates the need for reserve pits, which should satisfy the NDIC rule.  Their customers claim that the clean water increases the drilling rate of penetration and reduces mud pump and downhole tool wear and maintenance. The dry solids decrease wet tonnage hauling and water truck traffic congestion.  Most of all, the dollar savings are substantial. Earlier methods cost Paragon customers up to $66 a barrel; Paragon charges much less utilizing their mobilized Auto-Vac®.

Paragon Water Solutions focusses mainly on water-based drilling fluid reserve pit wastewater in the Williston Basin and Bakken Shale Oil Field.  A video of the ALAR Auto-Vac® system in operation is available online at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkZUzEaqh-M

There are Auto-Vac® systems in the infant stage currently filtering hydraulic fracturing production water in PA and NM; showing promising results. ALAR custom builds sixteen (16) filter sizes to accommodate virtually any volume of wastewater.

Polymer Injection: (2 potential tanks)

Chemical separation is necessary (prior to the DAF) using a polymer.  Polymer breaks apart the emulsified solids from the water and allows them to concentrate and float.

Flocculation or coagulation of solids is typically accomplished through the addition of cationic and/or anionic polymers; resulting easier solid flotation and less dissolved air usage.  In many cases, the use of polymers promotes stronger floc formation, lower float volumes, and lower float moisture content.

In some cases additional polymer dosage is not necessary prior to a dewatering filter.  Polymer enhances the filtration rates, provides higher quality effluent, and dryer solids.  In the case of the Auto-Vac, it also conserves the use of diatomaceous earth (filter media).

DAF Float:

The pH adjustment chemicals, coagulants, and polymers will impact the methods of disposal and/or utilization of the float generated by the DAF system.  The moisture content and volume of material recovered by a DAF will vary and must be considered when sizing transfer pumps, storage tanks, and dewatering systems.

The tank size should be capable of holding 10% of the original gallons of sludge; and be agitated using a mixer (if going to dewatering filtration).

ALAR Auto-Vac Sludge Dewatering Filter:

The ALAR Auto-Vac is a rotary vacuum drum filter that effectively removes solid particles from the sludge, producing dewatered dry waste.  Typically, this waste is disposed of at a local landfill without further drying.  The Auto-Vac is self-cleaning with every revolution, which prevents blinding or clogging, and provides rapid filtration and extremely high filtrate clarity.  The ALAR Aut0-Vac filtering system is skid mounted, pre-piped, pre-wired for easy installation.  It is offered in both semi-automatic and automatic modes of operation.  This design works incredibly well with DAF sludge applications.

In 1999, with several disposal sites closing or raising their discharge fees, Trevaskis opened a private processing plant to dewater over 3.5 million gallons of sludge a year.  The plant turns a profit, and Trevaskis sees a lot of potential for growth and may one day move away from pumping and concentrate solely on the processing business.

Trevaskis was excited to share what he’s learned by hosting an open house this past October (2011) in conjunction with a wastewater sysmposium held by COWA and NAWT.  Sierra Septic showcased their 12-year-old ALAR system consisting of a Rotary Auger Strainer, Super Sack Unloading System and Auto-Vac AV690 Rotary Vacuum Drum Precoat Filter.

View entire story at: Disposal Done Right

When land-application of the sludge is unavailable, Wessuc turned to dewatering and composting practices.  The VanVeen’s tried to dewater the liquid sludge using centrifuge and belt press technologies. The equipment could not handle variances of thick and thin loads, and it wore out and choked on grit, sand, hairballs, and plastic.

Wessuc found greater success with a trailer-mounted ALAR Auto-Vac rotary vacuum drum filter.  “It gives us a great competitive advantage.  It uses less power, and we get very high effluent quality.  The water we return to the digest contains roughly 16 to 20 mg/l of total suspended solids”, says Hank VanVeen.

Wessuc,  a customer of ALAR‘s since June 2005, has an Auto-Vac Model 6120 at their facility.

Read more: A Solids Success

Trailer Mounted Auto-Vac Rotary Vacuum Drum Filter

Bode Concrete has stepped up recycling with a cement fine capture method that maximizes usage of reclaimed water in a minimal timeframe. Processed water from a morning delivery’s washout can be part of the batch for an afternoon load, thanks to the installation of an Alar Engineering Auto-Vac system.

Bode runs the largest capacity Auto-Vac Alar has delivered in concrete, with a 6 x 9 ft. drum. The installation can take up to 20,000 gallons of slurry in an eight-hour period down to the specific gravity range suited to  a wide variety of mix specs.

Auto-Vac 690

Challenge: PPG Industries in Reno, NV., sought a more efficient way to deal with its wash water and wastewater.

Solution: PPG did its due diligence in conducting several performance tests on a complete chemical batch and filter system from Alar Engineering Corporation.

Conclusion: PPG ultimately purchased an ALAR Auto-Vac filter to handle their 12,000 gallons of wastewater per day.  They were able to reduce cross-state sludge handling and disposal costs.

Auto-Vac 660 Treatment System

Read the full article at: www.alarcorp.com (Case Studies)

To comply with these regulations industries are faced with exorbitant hauling costs, expensive off-site treatment, increased municipal user fees and the burden of cleaning up wastewater lagoons.  Non-compliance results in heavy fines and may even lead to complete plant shut down.

The most sensible and cost-effective solution is to clean up wash water at the source.  ALAR Engineering Corporation has been designing and manufacturing wastewater treatment equipment since 1970.  Utilizing the latest in technology and advanced research methods,  ALAR provides industries of all types with state-of-the-art, time proven equipment.

Paragon tested conventional methods such as Reserve Pits, Centrifuges, Hydrocyclones, Filter Presses, and Settling Tanks. In each scenario, they still hauled out dirty water, and trucked in clean water.

After exhausting every avenue, Paragon searched for a “magic bullet” to filter a combination of wastewaters, produce dry solids and recycle clean water without the cost and headaches. They found the ALAR Auto-Vac^® filter.

The ALAR Auto-Vac^® works with Surface Mud, Lateral Brine Water, Fresh Water, and Frac Tank Sludge. This technology does not blind or cause bottlenecks, and is forgiving of wastewater variances and thick oily sludge.

The clean water increased the drilling rate of penetration and reduced mud pump and downhole tool wear & maintenance. The dry solids decreased wet ton hauling and water truck congestion. Paragon also noticed that the Auto-Vac^® eliminated reserve pits. Most of all, the dollar savings were substantial. Earlier methods cost up to $66 a barrel; Paragon now charges $10 per barrel.

Both systems have skid mounted cylindrical drum filters that are used to separate liquids and solids; and that’s about all they have in common.

A centrifuge offers “nominal” filtration whereas the Auto-Vac® provides “absolute” filtration. In relation to particle filtration size, the centrifuge typically filters down to 5 micron; Auto-Vac® filters down to 0.5 micron.

When dewatering non-settleable solids, a centrifuge needs polymer to capture smaller than 5 micron particles, where the Auto-Vac requires very little to no polymer (just a pin-floc). The volatile spin on centrifuges requires heavy doses of polymer to maintain a molecular bond. The “spin cycle” often shreds polymer bonding.

A centrifuge cannot function without polymer nor can it operate efficiently with a polymer overdose. The Auto-Vac® will filter slower and less efficient, but will still filter. Variances in the waste stream, such as heavy slugs of solids could also debilitate a centrifuge.

The purpose of dewatering is to reduce water weight in order to landfill or transport the filtered solids economically. Centrifuge generates from 11% – 15% dry solid content by weight; Auto-Vac up to 45% dry solid content by weight.

Upfront capital costs will fluctuate with the materials of construction; both machines typically fall within the same dollar amount. Both dewatering systems have ongoing consumable costs, but maintenance should be factored in as well.

There are only five moving parts on an Auto-Vac®, all of which require light duty maintenance consisting of scheduled cleaning and lubrication. Auto-Vac® parts are available commercially. A centrifuge requires the rotor assembly to be rebuilt at least once a year. The cost to rebuild the rotor assembly is 1/3 to 1/2 the cost of a brand new centrifuge (annually – sometimes biannually). Centrifuge systems have an intricate bearing and shaft assembly with a very tight tolerance that requires constant adjustment and realignment (replacement and maintenance costs can be very high).

The Aut0-Vac Rotary Vacuum Drum Filter

Mother Nature does it again…randomly leaving a scar in her path.  Homes, businesses, schools, churches, hospitals left in ruin or worse completely destroyed.

We as compassionate people, reach out to each other to lend a helping hand.  Who knows when it will happen to our town…no one is safe from Mother Nature.

Water that I usually talk about is the wastewater type of water…water that is from a manufacturing process, water that cannot go down the sewer in its raw form, water that can be reused in the process if treated properly or put down the sewer safely.

Water…I know there is a percentage of the earth that is covered with it, just look at the globe, a lot of water out there.  Can you imagine looking at the world and not see all that blue??  I can’t and don’t even want to think about that possibility.

Water…a simple commodity we all expect will be here for years and years to come…as long as we are smart about its uses and be environmentally aware of what we do to it.  Reach out and help each other with the water issues around us.  We don’t want Mother Nature to see what we are doing.  Never mess with Mom, she knows how to handle those who do not respect and appreciate what they have.