Nutshell filters polish produced water by using walnut shell media as an adsorbent material of oil and suspended solids. ToroJet’s design improves on conventional filters by using a shared, ground-level cleaning system for multiple filters prioritizing optimization while enhancing safety and reducing costs.
Overview
As leaders in produced water treatment, we recognize effective water management is crucial for oilfield productivity and that the responsible management and processing of water resulting from the operation of oilfields is closely tied to productivity.
Whether to repressurize the reservoir or protect the receiving environment, nutshell filters have been a powerful workhorse in the treatment of produced water for reuse or as a pretreatment ahead of softening or other purification steps
ToroJet has been designed to ensure performance and sustainability goals are met without compromise using Nutshell filtration. The renewable and reusable properties and widespread accessibility of nutshells as a natural byproduct make them a more sustainable and affordable solution than other synthetic media used for oil-water separation.
This results in nutshell filtration systems that protect both subsurface infrastructure and the environment, delivering reliability and compliance with the lowest total lifecycle cost.
How does ToroJet work?
ToroJet filters suspended solids and oil droplets by trapping them within the deep nutshell media bed. Filtering continues until the media reaches capacity, at which point sensors detect the buildup and trigger an automatic backwash.
The backwash sequence begins with up-flow fluidization, using a pump on a shared cleaning skid, which then directs the backwash flow through a cyclonic separator to capture any escaped media particles. After contaminants are cleared and the nutshell media is restored, the cleaned media settles, rinses and the filter returns to service.
In larger installations, multiple filters are used and backwash cycles are coordinated to manage these large volumes in sequence.
Our ToroJet system uses a single skid shared among multiple filters to handle backwash, providing efficient media cleaning without needing individual backwash equipment for each filter. This approach improves asset utilization and reduces capital costs while ensuring effective media regeneration.
ToroJet yields produced water with low concentrations of hydrocarbons (i.e. free oil) down to less than two milligrams per liter while achieving up to 98% removal of suspended solids above five microns.
Features and benefits
ToroJet offers significant cost and safety benefits brought by its reliance on a common pump at grade level, instead of a device at the top of each vessel, to power the nutshell media fluidization and backwash cycle. This unique feature makes it simpler, easier and cheaper for customers to transport, install and maintain a nutshell filtration system, including:
Cost and resource efficiency
- Optimizing the number of rotating devices saves capital costs and drives higher asset utilization.
- Minimizing the number of installed pumps reduces labor demands, downtime and maintenance needs.
- Compact design without platforms or ladders for easier, cheaper transportation and faster installation.
- Recovery and return of media particles back to the main vessel, thanks to the cyclonic separator, minimizes media loss and saves on consumables.
Safety and ergonomics
- Accessible design for a safer operation: grade-accessible pump and easy-to-reach components provide a higher level of safety for operators and technicians.
- Serviceability at ground level meets compliance with the most demanding human factors in engineering standards.
Scalability to adapt to current and future needs
- Modular approach enables staged growth and project execution as add-on filters don’t need additional rotating equipment.
- Easier integration of additional filters provides expanded capacity to accommodate evolving needs without significant modifications or disruptions to existing operations.
- Single, shared cleaning skid offers greater flexibility for subsequent system expansions.
Applications
Services
Resources & Product range
The ToroJet product line is available in the same sizes as PowerClean™. It is also designed to meet the stringent energy industry specifications, including API 610 pump standards, while tailored to operate in the toughest service conditions.
Contact
ToroJet is a game-changer for the upstream energy industry. Our clients can now achieve higher efficiencies, improved safety and lower total lifecycle costs while meeting the most demanding effluent requirements to alleviate the environmental impact of operations, protect local ecosystems and reduce pressure on local water resources.”
Albert Low
Vice-President of Sales, Veolia Water Technologies — Whittier Filtration
Contact Albert through his LInkedIn account
FAQ about ToroJet
How do produced water treatment technologies increase return on investment for upstream energy?
Produced water treatment technologies can accelerate the return on investment (ROI) in several ways. By treating produced water on-site, operators can reduce disposal costs, increase water reuse and improve oil and gas production. This leads to cost savings, increased revenue and enhanced environmental sustainability. Additionally, effective treatment can extend equipment life, reduce chemical usage, and improve water management.
Implementing produced water treatment technologies can also generate new revenue streams, such as selling treated water to third parties. Moreover, it can increase asset value by reducing operating costs, improving environmental sustainability and enhancing regulatory compliance. By treating produced water, operators can avoid fines, penalties and reputational damage associated with non-compliance, ultimately leading to a faster return on investment.
What are the advantages of using walnut shell media to remove contaminants?
Walnut shell media is a highly effective filter media in produced water treatment offering significant environmental benefits for contaminant removal in oil and gas operations. Its effectiveness in adsorbing oil and grease reduces chemical usage and waste streams, resulting in high-quality treated water, while also exhibiting a low-pressure drop, allowing for high flow rates without significant energy loss.
Its cost-effectiveness and environmentally friendly nature — being a natural, biodegradable and non-toxic material — make it an attractive choice for produced water treatment applications while lowering the carbon footprint compared to synthetic alternatives.
Additionally, walnut shell media has a long lifespan, typically lasting several years, and requires minimal maintenance, as it can be backwashed and reused multiple times.
Overall, walnut shell media is a popular and reliable solution for upstream energy operators seeking to optimize their water treatment processes.
