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The Water Exchange
Water is the lifeblood of oil and gas operations — and managing it efficiently is more critical than ever. The Water Exchange brings you inside the industry’s biggest trends, challenges, and innovations, straight from the experts tackling them every day. Each episode features two specialists from Select Water Solutions discussing the latest in water infrastructure, treatment, chemistry, logistics, and sustainability. Whether you’re in the field or the boardroom, this is your all-access pass to the future of oilfield water management.
Select Water Solutions, Inc. (“Select”) is a leading provider of sustainable water and chemical solutions to the energy industry. Our offerings...
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All Episodes
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Produced Water Treatment: From Reuse to What's Next
In this episode of The Water Exchange, Rick McCurdy, vice president of innovation and sustainability, and Aaron Horn, vice president of infrastructure for New Mexico, explain how treatment and logistics give produced water options: back into completions as recycled water, out to other uses such as cooling, and into mineral extraction, with disposal as the backstop. They trace recycling from early projects in the Woodford Shale to fracs that now run on 100% recycled produced water, explain why bacteria is the daily challenge in recycling for completions, and discuss where salt becomes the real hurdle: beneficial reuse. Along the way, they cover disposal capacity in the Permian Basin, pilots in desalination and irrigation, the link between water, data centers, and minerals, and the frac chemistry that made recycling possible. Learn more at selectwater.com.
Beyond the Barrel: Produced Water, Mineral Extraction, and the Road Ahead
Select Water Solutions has spent two decades moving water across some of the most active basins in the country. In Episode 9 of The Water Exchange, Mike Lyons and Garrett Williams discuss how the company has evolved into a water midstream infrastructure business, what that means for operators and investors, and where produced water goes from here. Topics include the economics of recycling in the Permian, Select's Remote Operations Center and its AI and computer vision capabilities, lithium and iodine mineral extraction, and active moves into municipal water and data center markets..png)
Wettability, Microfluidics, and the Science of Smarter Surfactants
In this episode of The Water Exchange, I sit down with Sungyang Liu, Director of R&D at Select Chemistry, to explore the intricate relationship between wettability, microfluidics, and surfactants in enhancing oil recovery. We delve into the evolution of surfactant technology, discussing how altering wettability can significantly impact oil flow efficiency and overall production outcomes. Sungyang shares insights on the innovative use of microfluidic testing to simulate reservoir conditions, allowing for rapid formulation adjustments tailored to specific geological contexts. Join us as we uncover the science behind smarter surfactants and their pivotal role in optimizing water management solutions for energy producers..png)
From Source to System: Solving the Permian’s Water Challenges
The Permian Basin generates enormous volumes of produced water — and for years, injecting it back underground was the only answer. Today, roughly 65% of Permian frac demand is met with recycled produced water. How did the industry get here, and where does it go next? In this episode of The Water Exchange, Select Water Solutions' Whitney Faircloth and Brandon Prill trace the full journey — from lay flat hose and disposal wells to a network of 20+ recycling facilities, 35+ million barrels of interconnected storage, and over one billion barrels of produced water recycled and reused for completions. They discuss the logistics of water balancing across multiple operators, the technology stack behind Select's remote operations center, and what emerging opportunities in lithium extraction and beneficial reuse could mean for the industry's future. A candid, experience-driven conversation at the intersection of infrastructure, operations, and sustainability in the oil field. Learn more at selectwater.com.png)