US 11,840,897 B2
Multi-stage drilling waste material recovery process
Stan Ross, Cochrane (CA); and Paul Sudlow, Calgary (CA)
Assigned to RECOVER ENERGY SERVICES, INC., Calgary (CA)
Filed by RECOVER ENERGY SERVICES INC., Calgary (CA)
Filed on Jun. 3, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/891,270.
Application 16/891,270 is a division of application No. 15/448,029, filed on Mar. 2, 2017, granted, now 10,731,428.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/324,622, filed on Apr. 19, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2020/0340312 A1, Oct. 29, 2020
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. E21B 21/06 (2006.01); B04B 5/10 (2006.01); B01D 3/00 (2006.01); B01D 21/26 (2006.01); F26B 3/18 (2006.01); F26B 5/08 (2006.01)
CPC E21B 21/066 (2013.01) [B01D 3/00 (2013.01); B01D 21/26 (2013.01); B04B 5/10 (2013.01); E21B 21/065 (2013.01); F26B 3/18 (2013.01); B01D 21/262 (2013.01); F26B 5/08 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A process for removing hydrocarbons and water from oil base mud contaminated drill cuttings and recovering liquids for use in an oil base mud drilling fluid, comprising:
(i) heating the oil base mud contaminated drill cuttings in a heating tank to remove at least a portion of liquid constituents thereby forming heated oil base mud contaminated drill cuttings and a vapor phase, the vapor phase condensable in an operatively connected condenser;
(ii) conveying the heated oil base mud contaminated drill cuttings into a high-gravity centripetal cuttings separator employing greater than four-hundred gravitational forces to create a solids phase containing less water and hydrocarbons contamination than the heated oil base mud contaminated drill cuttings in (i), and a liquids phase with less solids than the heated oil base mud contaminated drill cuttings in (i);
(iii) conveying the liquids phase to a fluid stripping process, producing
(a) a phase of low gravity solids comprising solids having a diameter of less than 20 microns with reduced liquids compared to the liquids phase in (ii), and
(b) a further-processed liquids phase with substantially no solids;
(iv) conveying the solids phase in (ii) and the phase of low gravity solids with reduced liquids to a thermal processor utilizing stationary reactor walls and rotating paddles to cause evaporation of liquids of the solids phase and the phase of low gravity solids with reduced liquids into an other vapor phase to be condensed and collected;
(v) condensing the other vapor phase in (iv) into a liquid phase comprising water and/or hydrocarbons; and,
(vi) collecting the further-processed liquids phase in (iii), which is optionally stored in a storage tank, or mixed with the liquid phase comprising water and/or hydrocarbons in (v) to create a liquids phase for use in an oil base mud drilling fluid.