On Friday, Saltworks Technologies launched a new product for shale operators: the SaltMaker AirBreather.
After completing two shale pilot projects, the Saltworks team sought a more cost-effective method for treating shale gas waters. Building on the success of the SaltMaker MultiEffect, Saltworks’ evaporator crystallizer, the AirBreather was designed with the shale end use in mind, providing high-capacity, low-cost, low-grade heat, and robust modular operations.
The team that developed the AirBreather completed over one year to achieve the final product. Saltworks has stated that the AirBreather offers operators:
- A lower cost evaporator crystallizer that can be dispatched in modules and scaled-up to meet any capacity.
- Safe evaporation of water to atmosphere, leaving no freshwater by-product to manage.
- No expensive chemical treatment or volatile organic compound (VOC) air emissions.
- The ability to harnesses low cost energy to concentrate salty waters.
- Reduce shale gas waters to either a low volume brine suitable for disposal wells or solid salt crystals for re-use or safe landfilling.
While, the SaltMaker AirBreather directly addresses shale gas applications, it will also suit projects that seek to treat complex brines unfit for membrane systems.
Saltworks’ executive vice president Malcolm Man said, “I am really proud that the design team invented a competitor to the MultiEffect. The AirBreather will beat the MultiEffect where thermal energy costs less than $5/GJ. The MultiEffect wins on higher cost energy or where liquid water recovery is important. Either way, customers now have two product options to choose from.”’
Header image shows the AirBreather pilot project with the engineering team. Image Credit: Saltworks
