Project Overview
An Alberta oil sands SAGD operation needed >95% water recycling to reduce freshwater consumption and improve steam-generation efficiency. High-temperature, high-silica produced water had to be treated to OTSG boiler feed quality — silica <1 mg/L, hardness <0.1 mg/L — a spec traditional cold lime softening could not consistently hit.
The Challenge
Cold lime softening produced inconsistent silica residuals and required heavy chemical dosing. Even minor OTSG fouling cut steam efficiency and triggered unplanned cleaning cycles, eroding bitumen production.
WFS Solution
WFS supplied a warm-lime softener followed by weak-acid cation ion exchange and a polishing UF/RO train tuned to OTSG silica targets. Closed-loop chemical dosing on the warm lime stage stabilized silica residual, and the recovered blowdown was routed to evaporator concentration for near-zero discharge.
Technologies Applied
- ▸Warm Lime Softening
- ▸Weak-Acid Cation IX
- ▸Ultrafiltration Polishing
- ▸OTSG Feed RO
- ▸Evaporator Blowdown Recovery
Results Achieved
Performance Outcomes
- ✓98.2% of produced water recycled to the OTSG
- ✓Silica held below 0.4 mg/L at OTSG feed
- ✓92,000 m³/month freshwater make-up eliminated
- ✓Steam generation efficiency improved by 7.3%
Your Project Could Be Next
Talk to a WFS engineer about your specific water challenge.