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Title: Offshore disposal of oil-based drilling-fluid waste: An environmentally acceptable solution

Abstract

Oily cuttings and waste fluid are byproducts of oil-based drilling muds. In such difficult drilling environments as the Gulf of Mexico, where oil-based fluids often are preferred, personnel safety, environmental, and economic concerns are exacerbated by the necessity to transport these cuttings and fluids to shore for disposal. This paper describes a process for on-site preparation and subsequent disposal of a slurry of cuttings by annular pumping. The disposal includes all cuttings and waste oil mud generated during drilling with oil-based fluids. Wastes are displaced down a casing annulus and into permeable zones below the surface casing setting depth. Descriptions of environmental and safety problems arising from onshore disposal, benefits of annular pumping, and equipment used for slurry preparation and pumping are described. This technique eliminates the need for platform cuttings storage, cuttings transportation to shore, and the environmental effects of onshore disposal.

Authors:
; ; ;
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
5465276
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
SPE Drilling and Completion (Society of Petroleum Engineers); (United States)
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 8:4; Journal ID: ISSN 1064-6671
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
02 PETROLEUM; 03 NATURAL GAS; DRILLING FLUIDS; REINJECTION; LIQUID WASTES; OFFSHORE DRILLING; WASTE DISPOSAL; DISPOSAL WELLS; GULF OF MEXICO; INJECTION WELLS; NATURAL GAS WELLS; OIL WELLS; ATLANTIC OCEAN; CARIBBEAN SEA; DRILLING; FLUIDS; MANAGEMENT; SEAS; SURFACE WATERS; WASTE MANAGEMENT; WASTES; WELLS; 020300* - Petroleum- Drilling & Production; 030300 - Natural Gas- Drilling, Production, & Processing; 020800 - Petroleum- Waste Management; 030700 - Natural Gas- Waste Management

Citation Formats

Malachosky, E, Shannon, B E, Jackson, J E, and Aubert, W G. Offshore disposal of oil-based drilling-fluid waste: An environmentally acceptable solution. United States: N. p., 1993. Web. doi:10.2118/23373-PA.
Malachosky, E, Shannon, B E, Jackson, J E, & Aubert, W G. Offshore disposal of oil-based drilling-fluid waste: An environmentally acceptable solution. United States. https://doi.org/10.2118/23373-PA
Malachosky, E, Shannon, B E, Jackson, J E, and Aubert, W G. 1993. "Offshore disposal of oil-based drilling-fluid waste: An environmentally acceptable solution". United States. https://doi.org/10.2118/23373-PA.
@article{osti_5465276,
title = {Offshore disposal of oil-based drilling-fluid waste: An environmentally acceptable solution},
author = {Malachosky, E and Shannon, B E and Jackson, J E and Aubert, W G},
abstractNote = {Oily cuttings and waste fluid are byproducts of oil-based drilling muds. In such difficult drilling environments as the Gulf of Mexico, where oil-based fluids often are preferred, personnel safety, environmental, and economic concerns are exacerbated by the necessity to transport these cuttings and fluids to shore for disposal. This paper describes a process for on-site preparation and subsequent disposal of a slurry of cuttings by annular pumping. The disposal includes all cuttings and waste oil mud generated during drilling with oil-based fluids. Wastes are displaced down a casing annulus and into permeable zones below the surface casing setting depth. Descriptions of environmental and safety problems arising from onshore disposal, benefits of annular pumping, and equipment used for slurry preparation and pumping are described. This technique eliminates the need for platform cuttings storage, cuttings transportation to shore, and the environmental effects of onshore disposal.},
doi = {10.2118/23373-PA},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/5465276}, journal = {SPE Drilling and Completion (Society of Petroleum Engineers); (United States)},
issn = {1064-6671},
number = ,
volume = 8:4,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Dec 01 00:00:00 EST 1993},
month = {Wed Dec 01 00:00:00 EST 1993}
}