(GP/GT) for Additional Water Supply in the Lower Rio Grande

Desalination
Desalination is a proven technology using conventional energy forms.
As the relative cost of water increases, desalination will become a more
viable option -- not only to extract the potable water from geopressured
resources in inland areas, but also from the ocean for near-coastal and
other demands.
Fresh water can potentially be removed from geopressured fluids to
meet critical freshwater needs in the water scarce regions of California,
the lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas, and other areas, both nationally
and internationally.
G. S. Nitschke (Boeing, WA) and J. A. Harris (Wichita State
University) proposed a system that will use the pressure gradient of the
reservoir to produce electricity by way of a pressure reduction turbine
and generator combination. The natural gas would be separated for sale or
on-site use, and the thermal energy would be used to produce potable
water through a multi-effect distillation unit. In turn, the remalnlng
saturated brines could be sold. The brine is ideal for solar ponds that
utilize binary power generators, a method effectively proven in Israel.
Solar pond power could be used for further water production in a
conventional reverse osmosis desalination scheme fed with seawater. It
is suggested that such a scheme could produce as much as 40% of the total
water load in California (Nitschke and Harris, 1990).
F. J. Spencer (International Management Services) has identified six
areas of use that he is encouraging for utilization of geopressured
resources, particularly in the entire lower Rio Grande Valley, south TX,
in the coming decade. The proposed areas are:
1. Recover dissolved methane and sell it as pipeline gas
2. Use the geopressured fluid or gas pressure or both to drive
turbines for power production
3. Use the steam content of the geopressured fluid to drive
conventional turbines for power production
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