Drilling cuttings treatment

Patent · Tue Aug 04 04:00:00 EDT 1987

OSTI ID:6185221

Skinner, J L

This patent describes a drilling apparatus for drilling a wellbore in the earth where the drilling operation generates a substantial amount of a mixture of solid drilling cuttings, water and at least one hydrocarbonaceous oil. The mixture is heated at least one time to vaporize essentially all the water and oil to produce essentially dry, oil-free cuttings and at least one stream composed of a mixture of vaporized water, oil and entrained solid fines. A system comprises condensing means for mixing at least one stream of vaporized water, oil, and solid fines with a cooling liquid to condense the vaporized water and oil to the liquid state. A separator means separates the water, oil and solid fines from one another, and for separately recovering each so that the separately recovered water and oil streams are essentially free of solid fines. The separator means comprises a separator vessel having an inlet conduit opening into a chamber in the vessel and at a point below a water-oil interface in the chamber when the water, oil and solid fines are separated. Separate outlet conduits discharge separated water, oil and solid fines, respectively, from the vessel, means for conveying a slurry of water and solid fines from the vessel to dryer means for the mixture. Means for recirculating at least one of the separated water and oil to the condensing means is for use as the cooling liquid.

• Assignee: Atlantic Richfield Co., Los Angeles, CA
• Patent Number(s): US 4683963
• OSTI ID: 6185221
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020300* -- Petroleum-- Drilling & Production
03 NATURAL GAS
030300 -- Natural Gas-- Drilling
Production
& Processing
42 ENGINEERING
420206 -- Engineering-- Mining & Drilling Equipment & Facilities-- (1980-1989)
CIRCULATING SYSTEMS
COOLANTS
CUTTINGS REMOVAL
DISPERSIONS
DRILL BITS
DRILLING
DRILLING EQUIPMENT
DRYERS
EQUIPMENT
EVAPORATION
HEATING
HYDROCARBONS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
MIXTURES
NATURAL GAS WELLS
OIL WELLS
OILS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PARTICLES
PARTICULATES
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
REMOVAL
SEPARATION EQUIPMENT
SLURRIES
SUSPENSIONS
VAPOR CONDENSATION
WATER
WELL DRILLING
WELLS