Oman Launches World's First Solar-Powered Water Treatment Plant for Produced Water
ARA Petroleum E&P, HELIOVIS AG, and Trevi Systems Inc, has announce the mechanical completion and commissioning of the first Solar Water Treatment Plant (SWTP) at Qarat al Milh, Oman.
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This cutting-edge facility is scheduled to begin operation in mid-August, marking a pivotal advancement in sustainable water treatment using renewable energy in oilfield operations.
The HELIOtube® technology, developed by HELIOVIS AG, uses inflatable tubes and mirror films to concentrate sunlight, offering a highly cost-effective solution for the emission-free supply of industrial process heat. Compared to conventional parabolic trough technology, HELIOtube® systems provide significant advantages in manufacturing, shipping, installation, and maintenance, alongside reduced freshwater usage.
The Trevi Forward Osmosis Technology (FOT) deployed in the SWTP, unlike commonly used reverse osmosis technology, does not require high external pressures. Trevi’s FOT instead relies on the high osmotic pressure of Trevi’s proprietary and patented draw solution that pulls fresh water through a membrane via the natural occurring process of osmosis. This yields fresh water on one side and a concentrated brine on the other. The main advantages of Trevi’s FOT are that it requires less energy than other technologies and can use heat as a primary driver of the process instead of electricity enabling a cost effective and environmentally friendly way of treating oilfield produced water.
The SWTP at Qarat al Milh combines the solar thermal energy provided by the HELIOVIS’ HELIOtubes® with Trevi Systems’ innovative FO water treatment technology. The solar field operates at approx. 180°C and feeds into a thermal storage system, the core component of which is a pressurized stratified layer hot water vessel. This low-cost storage enables 24/7 operation and provides the thermal energy required to convert hyper-saline produced water into freshwater that meets highest standards using Trevi’s FOT.
Trevi’s FOT then further concentrates the hyper-saline produced water by 50% using the green heat supplied by HELIOVIS. Typically, such brine concentration can only be achieved by utilizing evaporators which have much higher energy requirements and capital costs than Trevi’s FOT system.
The joint pilot facility aims to produce up to 140m³ of freshwater per day on site, significantly reducing the operational cost and CO2 footprint associated with traditional water treatment methods. In addition, the environmental impact of transporting fresh water to the oilfield is almost eliminated.
The collaboration involves the purchase of the plant by ARA from HELIOVIS, with the latter acting as the EPC contractor, integrating its proprietary technology with Trevi Systems’ desalination capabilities. This plant serves as a lighthouse project with the potential to pave the way for similar initiatives across the Gulf region, promoting the use of solar thermal energy in multiple industrial applications.
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