Gravity Oilfield Services, backed financially by Santa Monica-based private equity Clearlake Capital, purchased certain water disposal pipes and related equipment from MBI Oil & Gas.

The pipes and infrastructure purchased from MBI are used in the fracking process for oil and gas. Fracking is a well-stimulation technique in which rock is fractured by a pressurized liquid, releasing natural gas, oil and other liquids.

Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

The acquisition of MBI’s water disposal pipes further strengthens Midland-Texas-based Gravity’s existing water management solutions in the Bakken Shale, one of the largest oil developments in the United States. The oil producing region covers Eastern Montana and Western North Dakota, as well as parts of Saskatchewan and Manitoba in Canada.

MBI is headquartered in Dickinson, N.D., the heart of the Bakken Shale region.

The transaction enhances Gravity’s scale within its permanent water infrastructure offerings in the basin, further building on the company’s acquisition of McKenzie Energy Partners in June 2018.

“This transaction represents an excellent strategic fit with Gravity’s existing water infrastructure solutions in the Bakken and accelerates Gravity’s transformation into a leading water midstream platform with national operations supported by critical assets in key plays throughout the country,” said José E. Feliciano, Clearlake’s co-founder and managing partner of Clearlake, in a statement.

Clearlake has managed more than $8 billion of institutional capital since its inception in 2006.

Finance reporter Pat Maio can be reached at [email protected] or (323) 556-8329.