Graduate Thesis Or Dissertation
 

Assessing Soil Salinity from Produced Water Spills with Electromagnetic Induction : A Case Study on Cropland in Bottineau County, North Dakota

Public Deposited

Downloadable Content

Download PDF
https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/graduate_thesis_or_dissertations/5m60qx17d

Descriptions

Attribute NameValues
Creator
Abstract
  • Produced water is a highly saline waste product of oil and gas production, which is generated in larger volumes than the hydrocarbons themselves in the United States. Spillage of produced water is of concern because its high salinity can contaminate soil, surface water and groundwater resources, and kill vegetation, including food crops. This study employed electromagnetic induction (EMI) to characterize the spatial variability of apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) as an indicator of soil salinity in three crop fields affected by produced water spills in Bottineau County, ND. EMI devices allow for relatively large areas of land to be accurately characterized in terms of apparent conductivity. Soil samples from the study area were tested for ECe (extract electrical conductivity), clay content, and pH to verify the presence of elevated salinity at the study sites. Spatial statistical analyses were employed to determine a potential causal relationship between ECa and the sources of produced water spills at the case study sites. Results of this study indicated elevated soil salinity at levels limiting to vegetation, and elevated ECa measurements clustering around oilfield infrastructure with levels three to ten times higher than background level, depending on the site. Implications for future studies include the development of ECa-guided soil sampling to compare the specific ions and strontium isotopes, if present, to those of the source formation’s produced water composition.
License
Resource Type
Date Available
Date Issued
Degree Level
Degree Name
Degree Field
Degree Grantor
Commencement Year
Advisor
Committee Member
Non-Academic Affiliation
Subject
Rights Statement
Publisher
Peer Reviewed
Language
Replaces

Relationships

Parents:

This work has no parents.

In Collection:

Items