Seawater Transportation for Utilization in Hydrocarbon-Related Processes

摘要

Systems and methods for transporting seawater from a seawater source to an inland site for utilization as a drilling and/or fracturing fluid are disclosed. In an aspect, systems and methods are disclosed wherein seawater is pumped from an ocean at a coastal location and transported to an inland drilling and hydraulic fracturing site, thereby providing a consistent, large volume supply of seawater for use in drilling and/or hydraulic fracturing operations. Such systems and methods may eliminate usage of locally-sourced fresh water, eliminating the unsustainable burden that drilling and hydraulic fracturing places on local water tables.

主权项

1. A method of forming a seawater-based fluid for use at an inland oilfield having an inland oilfield wellbore, the method comprising:
(a) collecting seawater from a seawater source; (b) transporting the collected seawater from the seawater source to an inland oilfield; and (c) providing, at the inland oilfield, a quantity of the collected seawater from the seawater source, to a user for subterranean operations at an inland oilfield wellbore; wherein the seawater source is one of: an ocean; a gulf; a saltwater lake; and a sea; and wherein the inland oilfield has at least one additional wellbore which has, during initial wellbore creation, solely utilized locally-sourced, freshwater-based fluid subterranean operations, the locally-sourced, freshwater-based fluid not containing produced water.