Gray water dominance in water footprint assessment of shale oil: A lifecycle perspective
Shale oil has emerged as a significant issue in global energy reform and sustainable development, recognized for its high water consumption. Existing water footprint studies, which predominantly focus on shale gas, inadequately address shale oil's unique resource characteristics and neglect key...
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Elsevier
2025-09-01
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| Series: | Energy Nexus |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772427125001445 |
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| author | Qian Wang Bo Yuan Jian Wu Jun Xiong Wenshi Liu Xi Chen Yan Wu |
| author_facet | Qian Wang Bo Yuan Jian Wu Jun Xiong Wenshi Liu Xi Chen Yan Wu |
| author_sort | Qian Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Shale oil has emerged as a significant issue in global energy reform and sustainable development, recognized for its high water consumption. Existing water footprint studies, which predominantly focus on shale gas, inadequately address shale oil's unique resource characteristics and neglect key factors such as wastewater treatment. This study developed a Water Footprint Assessment Tool (WFAT) that integrates regression-based empirical models derived from historical shale oilfield data with the Water Footprint Network (WFN) methodology, aiming to holistically evaluate the water footprint across the entire shale oil production lifecycle. The WFAT systematically quantifies blue water footprint and incorporates the gray water footprint linked to wastewater treatment demands and energy-related indirect water footprint. When applied to a shale oilfield in Qingyang city, the WFAT results indicate a total water footprint of 107.39 m³/t, primarily driven by hydraulic fracturing process. Notably, the blue water footprint contributes merely 1.52% to the total footprint, while the gray water footprint dominates (98.15%), with fracturing-induced flowback water treatment being the largest contributor. Shale oil exhibits higher water use intensity (26.12 L/GJ) compared to shale gas (2.6 to 9.3 L/GJ) but aligns with coal and natural gas, and its produced water intensity (25.5 L/GJ) surpasses shale gas (3.9–7.3 L/GJ), reflecting greater water production attributed to geological-engineering synergies. The recycling rate of flowback water is identified as a pivotal parameter for footprint reduction through sensitivity analysis. This study provides a reference for water resource assessment and management to balance energy extraction with water conservation in water-stressed regions. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b0c43c2a73bf49548c29a3afd2dfff75 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2772-4271 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-09-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
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| series | Energy Nexus |
| spelling | doaj-art-b0c43c2a73bf49548c29a3afd2dfff752025-08-25T04:14:55ZengElsevierEnergy Nexus2772-42712025-09-011910050310.1016/j.nexus.2025.100503Gray water dominance in water footprint assessment of shale oil: A lifecycle perspectiveQian Wang0Bo Yuan1Jian Wu2Jun Xiong3Wenshi Liu4Xi Chen5Yan Wu6College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu 610500, ChinaCNPC Research Institute of Safety and Environmental Technology, Beijing 102206, ChinaCNPC Research Institute of Safety and Environmental Technology, Beijing 102206, ChinaInstitute of Safety, Environmental Protection and Technical Supervision, PetroChina Southwest Oil & GasField Company, Chengdu 610095, ChinaCollege of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu 610500, China; Corresponding authors.College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Geography and Geographic Information Science, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USACollege of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu 610500, China; Corresponding authors.Shale oil has emerged as a significant issue in global energy reform and sustainable development, recognized for its high water consumption. Existing water footprint studies, which predominantly focus on shale gas, inadequately address shale oil's unique resource characteristics and neglect key factors such as wastewater treatment. This study developed a Water Footprint Assessment Tool (WFAT) that integrates regression-based empirical models derived from historical shale oilfield data with the Water Footprint Network (WFN) methodology, aiming to holistically evaluate the water footprint across the entire shale oil production lifecycle. The WFAT systematically quantifies blue water footprint and incorporates the gray water footprint linked to wastewater treatment demands and energy-related indirect water footprint. When applied to a shale oilfield in Qingyang city, the WFAT results indicate a total water footprint of 107.39 m³/t, primarily driven by hydraulic fracturing process. Notably, the blue water footprint contributes merely 1.52% to the total footprint, while the gray water footprint dominates (98.15%), with fracturing-induced flowback water treatment being the largest contributor. Shale oil exhibits higher water use intensity (26.12 L/GJ) compared to shale gas (2.6 to 9.3 L/GJ) but aligns with coal and natural gas, and its produced water intensity (25.5 L/GJ) surpasses shale gas (3.9–7.3 L/GJ), reflecting greater water production attributed to geological-engineering synergies. The recycling rate of flowback water is identified as a pivotal parameter for footprint reduction through sensitivity analysis. This study provides a reference for water resource assessment and management to balance energy extraction with water conservation in water-stressed regions.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772427125001445Shale oilWater consumptionWater footprintWater footprint assessment tool |
| spellingShingle | Qian Wang Bo Yuan Jian Wu Jun Xiong Wenshi Liu Xi Chen Yan Wu Gray water dominance in water footprint assessment of shale oil: A lifecycle perspective Energy Nexus Shale oil Water consumption Water footprint Water footprint assessment tool |
| title | Gray water dominance in water footprint assessment of shale oil: A lifecycle perspective |
| title_full | Gray water dominance in water footprint assessment of shale oil: A lifecycle perspective |
| title_fullStr | Gray water dominance in water footprint assessment of shale oil: A lifecycle perspective |
| title_full_unstemmed | Gray water dominance in water footprint assessment of shale oil: A lifecycle perspective |
| title_short | Gray water dominance in water footprint assessment of shale oil: A lifecycle perspective |
| title_sort | gray water dominance in water footprint assessment of shale oil a lifecycle perspective |
| topic | Shale oil Water consumption Water footprint Water footprint assessment tool |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772427125001445 |
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