Eliminating drilling mud solids from surface well equipment

Patent · Tue May 13 04:00:00 EDT 1986

OSTI ID:5719399

Oliver, J E; Singer, A M

A process is described for eliminating drilling mud and other solids and oil from surface equipment of a well system which is to receive solids-free completion and packer fluids having an affinity to entrain residual solids. The steps consist of: (a) mechanically removing the drilling mud and other solids from the surface equipment and washing the surface equipment with relatively solids-free water to displace these solids from the surface equipment to a convenient disposal area or vessel; (b) introducing clean water into the surface equipment and adding to the clean water surfactant and alcohol of at least 5 carbon atoms to produce a treated water and circulating the treated water of the Newtonian type at turbulent flowing conditions through all surface equipment receiving the solids-free completion and packer fluids whereby substantially all residual solids are suspended in the treated water; and (c) circulating clean water through the surface equipment to remove the treated water and entrained solids from the surface equipment to a disposal area or vessel until the surface equipment is sufficiently free of solids to avoid contamination of completion and packer fluids introduced into the surface equipment.

• Assignee: NOV; EDB-86-125236; NOV-85-013807
• Patent Number(s): US 4588445
• OSTI ID: 5719399
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020300* -- Petroleum-- Drilling & Production
03 NATURAL GAS
030300 -- Natural Gas-- Drilling
Production
& Processing
ALCOHOLS
CARBON
CLEANING
DESCALING
DRILLING FLUIDS
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
EQUIPMENT
FIELD PRODUCTION EQUIPMENT
FLUID FLOW
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
MANAGEMENT
NATURAL GAS WELLS
NONMETALS
OIL WELLS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PACKINGS
PETROLEUM
QUANTITY RATIO
REMOVAL
SOLIDS
SURFACE FINISHING
SURFACTANTS
TURBULENT FLOW
WASHING
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WATER
WATER TREATMENT
WELL COMPLETION
WELLS