Discrete Formulation for Multi-objective Optimal Design of Produced Water Treatment

Abstract

Produced Water is naturally occurring water that is brought to the surface during the extraction of the oil and gas and it constitutes the largest waste stream in the oil and gas industry. In offshore platforms, the majority of the produced water is discharged into the ocean, threatening marine life. The treatment of produced water is attractive, not only to meet regulations but to secure a potential source of fresh water. The design of water treatment should consider economic, environmental, and social aspects.
This paper presents a discrete model for the evolution of oil droplet distribution due to breakage and coalescence phenomena. The discrete model combined with a superstructure representation for process design results in a mixed integer non-linear program which is solved using a nature-inspired meta-heuristic optimization method.