Abstract
A generalized methodology for evaluating the technical feasibility of projects involving the disposal of waste brine by injection into deep saline aquifers is developed, primarily from the hydrology and petroleum engineering literature. Data collection, groundwater modeling, and fluid compatibility are discussed in detail. Injection system design, economics, and regulatory considerations are more related to economic than technical feasibility, and are discussed only as they relate to technical feasibility. The methodology is utilized to make a preliminary evaluation of a proposed brine injection project in the Dove Creek area of King and Stonewall Counties, North Central Texas. Four known deep aquifers are modeled, using the SWIFT/486 software, to determine their ability to receive two cfs of brine for a project life of one hundred years. Two aquifers, the Strawn and EUenburger Formations, are predicted to be acceptable for disposal. Each aquifer would require only one disposal well which is favorable for the economics of the project. Additional data, particularly hydraulic conductivity and net aquifer thickness data, are required to make a more definitive technical feasibility determination for this project.
Spongberg, Martin Edward (1994). The feasibility of deep well injection for brine disposal. Master's thesis, Texas A&M University. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /ETD -TAMU -1994 -THESIS -S763.