ROSS™ Technology

Removal of Oil, Solids and Scale Formers

Frac Flowback and Produced

Water Treatment for Reuse

WATER TECHNOLOGIES
Treatment
for Reuse and
Enhanced Oil
Recovery
ROSS™ Technology is a an effective
method for treating upstream
produced water generated from
oil exploration and production
operations. This unique technology
combines Veolia’s proprietary
Multiflo™ high-rate chemical
softening process with CeraMem®
ceramic membrane technology to
generate high-quality water suitable
for reuse in steam flooding, water
flooding and fracking operations.
The CeraMem ceramic membrane
utilizes a 0.01 micron ultrafiltration
membrane for removal of particulates
(oil, solids, bacteria, algae, clay).
Benefits of ROSS Technology
• Effective removal of scale formers (hardness, silica, iron, barium, strontium)
• Effective removal of particulates (oil, solids, bacteria, algae, clay)
• Absolute barrier to particulates, minimizing downstream carryover
during upsets
• High system recovery rates (>98%), minimizing liquid waste generated
• Excellent thermal resistance (up to 210°F)
• Compact treatment system; 30% less space requirement than
conventional approach
• Packaged, modular, shop-fabricated, pre-piped, pre-wired treatment
system
Applications for ROSS Technology
Shale Oil Production:
Treatment of frac flowback and produced water for reuse as frac water
Water Flooding:
Treatment of produced water for injection to achieve enhanced oil recovery
Steam Flooding:
Treatment of produced water for steam generation to achieve enhanced
oil recovery
Multiflo Softening is a
compact-footprint process
provided as packaged
systems for removal of scale
formers (hardness, silica,
iron, barium, strontium)
from produced water.
Water Reuse in Shale Oil Applications
ROSS™ Technology is ideal for treatment
of flowback and produced water for
reuse in fracking operations. In the
process, the feed water is first treated
in Veolia’s high-rate chemical softening
and thickening technology called
Multiflo™ for removal of scale formers.
This process utilizes a proprietary draft
tube mixing technology, Turbomix®, to
assist in the formation and separation
ROSS™ Technology - Shale Oil Reuse
of crystalline solids. These dense solids
(6 to 10% by weight) are then removed
in a settling zone using lamella plates.
Excess solids are intermittently purged
from the Multiflo for dewatering and
subsequent landfill disposal.
The softened water and crystalline
solids are then processed through
the CeraMem® ceramic membrane
ultrafiltration technology. Operated
in crossflow mode, the membranes
remove free oil, suspended solids and
bacteria to very low concentrations
in a single step. The solids from
the CeraMem ultrafiltration are
continuously recycled to the
crystallization tank of the Multiflo,
providing seed for crystal growth.
The treated water from the CeraMem
process is neutralized and reused in
the shale oil operations as frac water,
reducing fresh water demand.

Multiflo™ CeraMem®
Coagulant Chemical Softening Ultrafiltration

Alkali A
Alkali B

Acid

Flowback /
Produced Frac Water
Water Reuse

Filter
Press
Benefits
• Enables reuse of produced water as frac water
• Reduces fresh water demand
• Lessens dependency on natural fresh water resources
• Reduces produced water disposal costs
• Minimizes truck traffic for water transportation
• Reduces frac chemical demand
• Lowers lease operating expenses

Performance Data – Shale Oil Reuse Applications

Contaminant Feed Water Multiflo Effluent CeraMem Effluent
Total hardness, ppm as CaCO3 500 – 20,000 < 20 < 20

Total iron, ppm 3 – 80 < 1.0 < 0.5

Free oil, ppm (>20 μm) 10 – 300 < 10 < 0.2

Total suspended solids, ppm 10 – 300 < 10 < 0.2

Bacteria, cells / ml 100 – 9,999 100 – 9,999 non-detect

Water Flood Applications
In water flooding operations, a deaeration gas stripper is added to the basic ROSS™
system. The deaerator removes dissolved oxygen from the treated water, preventing
ROSS™ Technology - Water Flood
corrosion in the injection piping network in the oilfield.

MultiFlo™ CeraMem® Deaeration

Coagulant Chemical Softening Ultrafiltration Gas Stripper

Alkali A
Alkali B
Fuel Gas

Fuel
Acid Gas

Produced
Water Injection
Water

Filter
Press
Benefits
• Increases reservoir injectivity rates
• Enhances recovery of oil from formation
• Reduces plugging of formation pores with
particulates and scale deposits
• Lessens injector pipe scaling issues
• Minimizes injector piping corrosion
• Reduces injection chemical demand
• Lowers lease operating expenses

Performance Data – Water Flood Applications

Feed Multiflo CeraMem Deaerator
Contaminant
Water Effluent Effluent Effluent

Total hardness, ppm as CaCO3 1,000 – 5,000 < 20 < 20 < 0.5

Total iron, ppm 2 – 30 < 1.0 < 0.5 < 0.5

Free oil, ppm (>20 μm) 10 – 300 < 10 < 0.2 < 0.2

Total suspended solids, ppm 10 – 300 < 10 < 0.2 < 0.2

Bacteria, cells / ml 100 – 9,999 100 – 9,999 non-detect non-detect

Oxygen, ppm 2 – 8 2 – 8 2 – 8 < 0.05

Steam Flood Applications
In steam flooding applications, a Weak Acid Cation (WAC) Ion Exchange (IX)
Softener is added to the basic process to reduce the hardness to lower levels. The
WAC IX Softener is regenerated with acid and caustic, and regeneration waste is
ROSS™ Technology - Steam Flood
sent for deep well disposal.

Multiflo™ CeraMem® WAC IX

Coagulant
Chemical Softening Ultrafiltration Softener

Alkali A
Alkali B Acid

Produced To Steam
Water Generator

Alkali B
Filter
Press
Benefits
• Reduces silica scaling on steam generators
• Reduces steam generator pigging costs
• Increases steam quality from 65% to 80%
• Higher thermal efficiency: more heat, less
water injection
• Less waste generation (<20%) than
conventional approach
• Lowers steam generator scale inhibitor costs
• Reduces blowdown volume and handling costs
• Increases steam generator uptime availability

Performance Data – Steam Flood Applications

Feed Multiflo CeraMem WAC IX
Contaminant
Water Effluent Effluent Effluent

Silica, ppm 200 – 350 < 20 < 20 < 20

Total hardness, ppm as CaCO3 100 – 2,500 < 20 < 20 < 0.1

Total iron, ppm 2 – 3 < 1.0 < 0.5 < 0.1

Free oil, ppm (>20 μm) 10 – 300 < 10 < 0.2 < 0.2

Total suspended solids, ppm 10 – 300 < 10 < 0.2 < 0.2
Total Project Capabilities
Pilot Demonstration
Veolia offers onsite performance demonstration of ROSS™ Technology using
mobile pilot systems. These pilot units are capable of treating 150 to 685 barrels/
day of water.
Through piloting, each unique application can be thoroughly tested prior to
design and installation of the full-scale system. This ensures that the installed
system will achieve the designed performance and operating cost parameters.

Flexible Project Delivery Options

Our project delivery can be tailored to your purchasing preferences:

• Engineering / Procurement
• Design / Build / Operate / Guarantee (DBOG)
• Design / Build / Own / Operate (DBOO)
• Design / Build / Operate / Finance (DBOF)

Veolia is the only water treatment company that offers DBOG

project delivery agreements. Long-term operation contracts include
facility maintenance, treatment chemicals and guaranteed system
performance for the life of the operating contract.
Under DBOG contracts, each system is designed to optimize
operations, eliminating the risks of rising costs, performance and
availability over the life of the system.
Proven Performance
ROSS™ Technology is a critical part of other produced water treatment systems.
Veolia’s OPUS® II technology utilizes a ROSS system as pretreatment prior to ion
exchange and reverse osmosis. The overall treatment is designed to produce
45,000 barrels/day of high-quality effluent. In this application, 25,000 barrels/day
of the ROSS system effluent is used for steam generation and 20,000 barrels/day
is further processed in the OPUS II system for discharge to surface water. OPUS II
provides clean water for downstream irrigation and other beneficial reuse. The
treated water exceeds state and federal requirements for quality.

This 3-D drawing shows a typical design of a ROSS system,

illustrating the small footprint of the process.

Why Veolia?
• Unmatched expertise in design, build and operation of produced water treatment systems
• Strong references in produced water treatment systems from 5,000 to 250,000 barrels/day
• Proven technology that enables reuse of produced water with effective contaminant removal
• DBOG / DBOO / DBOF delivery options eliminate capital outlay and offer performance guarantees
• Largest environmental company in the world with $30 billion annual revenue
• Veola provides the financial backing for delivery of large commercial projects
 ©VWS Communications - 10/2014

Veolia Water Technologies

Pittsburgh, PA Houston, TX
Tel. +1 (412) 809-6000 Tel. +1 (281) 227- 9065

Boston, MA Los Angeles, CA

Tel. +1 (781) 810-7701 Tel. +1 (800) 487-3458

water.info@veolia.com
www.veoliawaterstna.com