SBIR Phase II: Advancing a Novel Low-voltage Electric Arc Method to Oxidize Organic Material in Contaminated Water

SBIR 第二阶段：推进新型低压电弧方法氧化污水中的有机物质

• 批准号: 1256582
• 负责人: Justin Bzdek
• 金额: $ 40.1万
• 依托单位: Symbios Technologies, Inc.
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-02-01 至 2020-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1256582&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; II; Advancing; Novel

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will support the final development and commercialization of Symbios Technologies plasma treatment system to allow produced water in the oil and gas industry to be effectively treated, thereby allowing its safe discharge to surface waters or recycling to stimulate production in new wells, rather than being disposed of in injection wells. Produced water is the water brought to the surface, with or without hydraulic fracturing, along with the intended fuel products during extraction of oil, gas, and coal bed methane from formations underground. In general, produced water is contaminated with hydrocarbons, salts, and harmful microorganisms, meaning that it must be treated before it can be discharged or reused for agriculture and other purposes. This is an important environmental, public safety, and economic problem in the US. Research conducted during this project will be used to evaluate reactor improvements including process sensors and control systems, electrode geometries and surface coatings, degradation of contaminants in produced water, field testing, and techno-economic modeling. The anticipated technical results are that the Symbios plasma system will degrade hydrocarbon contaminants and kill microorganisms in frac flowback or produced water, leaving the waters suitable for safe reuse or discharge. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is that it will facilitate cleanup and reuse of a critical resource, water, in the oil and gas production industry, with crucial societal benefits for protecting the environment, guarding human safety, and keeping domestic energy costs down. The proposed technology is based on an innovative, low-voltage plasma discharge that creates powerful oxidizing species for destroying biological and chemical contaminants in produced water. Symbios Technologies has developed relationships and executed agreements with key companies in the produced water treatment field, which have identified numerous near-term business opportunities and provided crucial insights into preparing the technology for commercial success during Phase II. The customer-centered emphasis on solving water contamination problems in the oil and gas industry, which was estimated to have a global market size of $45 billion in 2010, will result in a high likelihood for commercial success. The Phase II R&D plan will enhance scientific and technical understanding as well as commercial impact by addressing reactor improvements pertaining to corrosion resistance and automated operation for a market-ready system, treatment of microbial and organic contaminants in produced water, on- site testing, and demonstration of economic competitiveness of the developed system.

这项小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段项目将支持Symbios技术等离子体处理系统的最终开发和商业化，该系统可以有效地处理油气行业的采出水，从而使其安全排放到地表水或循环利用以提高新井的产量，而不是被处理在注入井中。采出水是指在从地下地层开采石油、天然气和煤层气时，无论是否进行水力压裂，都要将水与预期的燃料产品一起带到地面。一般来说，采出水被碳氢化合物、盐和有害微生物污染，这意味着它必须经过处理才能排放或重新用于农业和其他目的。这是美国一个重要的环境、公共安全和经济问题。在该项目中进行的研究将用于评估反应器的改进，包括过程传感器和控制系统、电极几何形状和表面涂层、采出水中污染物的降解、现场测试和技术经济建模。预期的技术结果是，Symbios等离子体系统将降解压裂返排或采出水中的碳氢化合物污染物，并杀死微生物，使水适合安全再利用或排放。该项目的广泛影响和商业潜力在于，它将促进油气生产行业中关键资源——水的清理和再利用，在保护环境、保护人类安全、降低国内能源成本方面具有重要的社会效益。该技术基于一种创新的低压等离子体放电技术，可以产生强大的氧化物质，破坏采出水中的生物和化学污染物。Symbios Technologies已经与采出水处理领域的主要公司建立了关系并执行了协议，这些公司已经确定了许多近期的商业机会，并为该技术在第二阶段的商业成功提供了重要的见解。以客户为中心，重点解决石油和天然气行业的水污染问题，预计2010年全球市场规模将达到450亿美元，这将很有可能取得商业成功。二期研发计划将加强科学和技术的理解以及商业影响，通过解决与耐腐蚀性有关的反应器改进和市场准备系统的自动化操作、采出水中微生物和有机污染物的处理、现场测试以及开发系统的经济竞争力演示。