Sinopec Group: Transforming gas-layer wastewater to irrigation water to create multiple benefits

 

Company profile
 
Established in July 1998 on the basis of the former China Petrochemical Corporation China Petrochemical Corporation (Sinopec Group) is a super-large petroleum and petrochemical enterprise group. Sinopec Group is a state-owned company solely invested by the state, functioning as a state-authorized investment organization in which the state holds the controlling share. Sinopec Group’s key business activities include: industrial investment and investment management; the exploration, production, storage and transportation (including pipeline transportation), marketing and comprehensive utilization of oil and natural gas; the production, marketing, storage and transportation of coal; oil refining; the storage, transportation ,wholesale and retail of oil products; and others.
 
headquartered in Beijing, Sinopec International Exploration and Production Corporation (SIPC) established in January 2001 .On behalf of Sinopec Group unified external upstream oil and gas cooperation, it is the strategic business unit of Sinopec Group for overseas oil and gas exploration development investment and operation integration, and is the only professional company of Sinopec Group which engaged in the upstream Overseas Investment business.
 
Challenge
 
APLNG project is a joint venture project that developed and generated by SIPC in Australia from coal seam gas (CSG) to liquefied Natural gas (LNG). The work area is located in the east of Queensland, where is lack of reliable water and in drought for a long time. the ecological environment deterioration worsen the agriculture and animal husbandry and the yield and benefit declines, all of which cause crop failure of the local farmers, leading to a negative growth of social economic in the past 20 to 30 years.
 
For the APLNG project, CSG development and production is an emerging industry in Australia. Coal seam gas extraction and production process has not been widely recognized and understood as they worry about its impact on the environment and society or may bring significant risks in the long term. Not all farmers are willing to open their private land for related work production by CSG Company
 
At the same time, since APLNG project began operations in 2011, CSG water production has increased annually with the increasing CSG production -- CSG water production management problems will be throughout the entire operation, therefore, and APLNG project will have to continue to pay the costs to cover operation, transportation and infrastructure construction .
 
Therefore, when effectively control the cost of CSG water production, how to economically, efficiently and environmentally friendly use CSG water production, establish continuous and good communication mechanism, and benefit the community agricultural economy and social and cultural development, has become a great challenge for  APLNG project.
 
Solutions
 
SIPC in Australia believes that the APLNG water treatment is an important part of the project development and production. By carrying out the Fairymeadow Road irrigation pipeline project, the APLNG project transports the treating water to a local farm and community, which can meet the demand of project to treat producing water, and also provides the treating water for local rural areas to benefit the local community.
 
Technological innovation transforms CSG water to Australia standard treating water. For this purpose, APLNG water treatment project hopes to transport CSG natural water to water treatment plant for pre-precipitation, and will conduct water treatment through membrane filtration, ion exchange and reverse osmosis filtration technology.  This process will effectively transform more than 90% natural production water to the water with higher level than that of Australian water standard, and then transport the treatment water through irrigation pipeline to local communities and farms, or discharged into local rivers and aquifers.
 
Design agricultural irrigation pipeline project Fairymeadow Road. As an important part of APLNG water treatment, it includes to construct a 22-km irrigation pipe that along the Fairymeadow Road, a 1.873 billion liter irrigation dams as water storage buffer; and set up a pump station. The irrigation water (CSG treatment water of APLNG project) will flow along irrigation pipe to the project farms for irrigation; the water gate in each farm irrigation entrance will be set to calculate the irrigation flow; and water treatment equipment and the pumping station also will be established.
 
after completing the above work, APLNG project is able to sell the treatment water that meet Australian Standards to farmers for agricultural irrigation and livestock drinking in a lower prices. APLNG sustainability project is an integrated management system,and JV Corporation (Origin, ConocoPhillips and Sinopec) management team organized an annual conference to set 1-5 sustainability goals, and review the project progress and the status of goals, for example, the Fairymeadow Road irrigation pipeline project, to ensure the long-term and sustainable development.
 
Achievements
 
Social benefit
 
The project was officially opened in April 2014, and more than 70% APLNG project CSG treatment water has been supplied to local farmers and communities. Up to now there are 7 local farmers with a total of 13 farms covering four thousand hectares in this project, and it is expected to involve more participants. This low cost irrigation water provides a significant support for production efficiency of local farm agricultural products planting and animal husbandry products. "All the time, we have been under the great risk caused by drought. Only the reliable water source can improve the situation and increase productivity. Road Fairymeadow irrigation pipeline project brings us sufficient water source, so the crop production is guaranteed. Irrigation pipeline project benefits not only our family, but also the local farmers like me." Geldard Ashley, a farmer who can represent Geldard family who has suffering from drought for hundred years.
 
The project also has eased the farm decline due to water supply problem caused by long-term drought and unstable water supply. It has attracted foreign investors to invest local agriculture and created employment opportunities to attract local young workers to stay in local community. Fairymeadow Road project makes CSG water production to become the local valuable water resources, and local farms also have gotten reliable quality irrigation water, and alleviated the local soil erosion and water mineralization problem in some degree.
 
Economic benefits
 
during the process, SIPC in Australia carried out positive and effective communication with the local government, community and farms, which has improved the society’s understanding of CSG industry and its relationship with environment, enhanced APLNG project reputation, and strengthened relations with community and government. Since the project has been carried out, the APLNG project coalbed methane production has been increased year by year. It is expected to yield about 491.71PJ in 2016. Now the engineering treatment water supply has been more than 2.6 billion liters / year. The CSG production water treatment with low cost and high efficiency has stabilized the APLNG operation and improved the value of CSG reservoir resources.
 
Prospect
 
As one of the best practices of water resources management of Sinopec Group, the APLNG project mode promotes the harmonious and sustainable development of natural ecology, society and economy, and has become an excellent CSG project of Sinopec Group. The practice itself is awarded the Best Creative Award in the SIPC overseas social responsibility practice contest. The idea, experience and innovative methods will be widely referenced and promoted in Sinopec Group.