Downstream Oil & Gas

Complete range of optimized process water and wastewater treatment solutions for refineries.

We provide solutions to meet the challenges of water and wastewater treatment in the downstream oil and gas industry, offering a variety of process water and water treatment technologies, along with technical expertise to develop processes to maximize reuse.
 

 

Water quantity and availability: challenges faced by the downstream oil and gas industry

Water-stressed regions

Intensive production

Consumption of large amounts of water.

How Veolia is committed to helping refineries

We are proud to have decades of international expertise in wastewater treatment for downstream industries. With just over 500 reference sites, our dedicated teams help our clients overcome their challenges every day. Our solutions are particularly suited to the specific needs of the downstream oil and gas industry.

To be competitive, the major players on this highly competitive market must use the most efficient technologies to minimize production costs. We offer our clients:

  • Reliability.
  • The safety and security they need for their operations.
  • The best performance.
  • Remote monitoring and digital solutions.
  • Full compliance with environmental legislation.
  • Genuine ecological commitments for the planet.
Refinery by night

Adaptable solutions for all downstream oil and gas players

Seawater desalination - Raw water treatment

Water is a major issue during downstream oil and gas processes. A quality product is essential for the smooth running of refining processes. Therefore, we provide our customers with raw water that is healthy and safe.

The raw water produced by Veolia Water Technologies meets the reliability requirements of seawater desalination applications. Our company also:

  • Pre-treats process water.
  • Produces process water to be fed to boilers and to be used as cooling water.
  • Produces demineralized water for dilutions that are necessary in petrochemical processes.

Wastewater treatment

Respect for the environment is at the heart of our priorities. Veolia Water Technologies treats wastewater generated by oil and gas industrial processes during downstream activities. Our mission consists in treating wastewater, rainwater, and industrial effluent, before it is reused or discharged.

Our treatment processes aim to purify water of elements that are toxic to the environment.

Such pollutants may be of any kind. They include, for example:

  • Hydrogen sulphide
  • COD
  • Ammonia
  • Hydrocarbons dissolved and dispersed
  • Oils
  • Phenols
  • BOD
  • Mercury
  • Cyanides
  • Selenium 
  • Chlorides

Reuse - Circularity and sustainable water treatment solutions

It is essential to treat wastewater and remove all traces of pollutants for water of the highest quality. Additionally, in our constant concern for sustainability, we offer reusing and recycling water solutions in downstream oil and gas operations, helping our clients to meet regulatory compliance and at the same time, protecting the environment and minimizing the need for freshwater for makeup demand.  Our technologies recycle wastewater by removing pollutants before returning it to the natural environment.

Groundwater rehabilitation

To remove dissolved and dispersed hydrocarbons in water, Veolia Water Technologies uses Macro Porous Polymer Extraction (MPPE®) water treatment technology. This patented technology, operational since the 1990s can reach a removal efficiency of 99.9999% .

Particularly effective, this technique has many advantages. It is a process that generates no waste, except the hydrocarbons in pure form. OPEX is low since it does not need chemicals and it has a low power and steam consumption. We offer an automated, remote-controlled, and fully guaranteed process.

Downstream oil and gas clients that trust Veolia

Zero liquid discharge for Shell's Pearl GTL installation
QATAR
Our partnership with Shell and Qatar Petroleum at the Pearl GTL site enabled the installation of advanced technologies to reduce its environmental impact -

with our zero liquid discharge (ZLD) technology, which completely manages effluent and process water in a closed circuit. 

 

Water scarcity near refineries and petrochemical plants is becoming a major issue for downstream oil and gas players. At the same time, reject specifications are becoming more and more stringent and treating the wastewater with yesterday's technologies is not a sustainable solution for our environment and planet. Sustainable solutions exist, and more are being developed by Veolia to reduce and even eliminate water contamination from the production processes.

ghassan Legrand photo

 

Ghassan EL Tawil Legrand

Managing Director

Veolia Water Technologies Oil & Gas – Middle East

 

Contact Ghassan through his LinkedIn profile

Would you like more information about our technologies for the Downstream Oil & Gas industry?

 

 

More services for our downstream oil and gas clients

A combination of digital tools and Veolia expertise that make all your water processes smarter, safer and more sustainable.
We provide a wide range of services to existing facilities including technical support, pre-planned preventive maintenance, spare parts, etc.
Veolia’s offering of rental assets—to support and assist your site operations—for temporary and longer-term water treatment needs 24/7.

FAQ about water solutions for downstream oil and gas industry

How do you treat oily wastewater?

Depending on the contamination level, wastewater can go through what is called primary, secondary or tertiary treatment levels based on how and where the water will be reused or disposed of. Typically, processes start with deoiling using API, CPI and DAF (in series or separately), followed by biological treatment and eventually by UF/RO for reuse or even zero liquid discharge using RO brine evaporation and crystallization. Veolia is an expert with all these processes, allowing us to provide the most optimized, guaranteed solution to meet our customers’ most stringent requirements

How is water used during refining processes?

Water is used in almost all refining activities, from washing the crude oil during the desalting process to cooling and heating activities, as well as for all the utilities (water, steam, etc.). Refining processes will also generate wastewater which needs to be treated to be reused or disposed of in the safest way possible.

Can any type of wastewater be treated? Why would a company choose not to treat its wastewater?

Water is becoming more scarce and almost all types of wastewater can be reused to minimize the impact of activities on the environment. But it depends on the cost that a company is willing to engage to treat the wastewater and sludge generated by its activities. A full assessment of the real cost of water is necessary to make the best decision and the cost of any actual and future impact on the environment must be taken into account. The impact on the permit to operate as well as on the reputation of the company and of the different stakeholders also needs to be taken into consideration when making such an important decision.