Wet dryer for diluent recovery
AssigneeRecover Energy Services Inc.
InventorStan Ross
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A process for removing volatile diluent(s) from processed solids, generated from unstabilized drilling waste being washed in a diluent/solvent wash process. The process describes the use of hot water to deliver quality heat energy to the processed solids phase, evaporating the diluent and at least partially removing chlorides or other soluble or insoluble contaminants in the process, resulting in enhanced efficiency of diluent and contaminant recovery, for example, as a result of the near infinite surface area of water, among other things.
Claims24
A process for removing diluent from processed solids containing a diluent comprising,
- introducing the processed solids containing diluent liquids phase into the inlet of a tank containing at least one inlet, at least one outlet, and a hot water phase at greater than 50° C. corrected to zero gauge pressure to cause the diluent liquids phase to evaporate and exit the hot water phase whereupon the evaporated diluent liquids vapor phase is evacuated through the at least one outlet of the hot water tank and,
- evacuating the evaporated diluent liquids vapor phase through the at least one outlet located above the hot water phase of the hot water tank, connected to a hermetically sealed conduit and condensing the evaporated diluent liquids vapor phase in an operatively connected condenser into at least one recovered condensed liquids phase and,
- recycling the recovered condensed liquids phase for reuse in at least one operatively connected gas tight diluent washing process and,
- evacuating the treated processed solids from the hot water tank and further dewatering the treated processed solids to remove at least a portion of the hot water phase resulting in a cleaned solids phase substantially lacking the diluent liquids phase,
- and wherein the entire process is performed in a vapor-tight and liquid-tight environment.
A gas tight process for removing diluent from a processed solids phase by introducing the processed solids phase containing diluent phase into a tank containing a hot water phase at greater than 50° C. corrected to zero gauge pressure causing the diluent phase to evaporate and exit the hot water phase whereupon the diluent phase can be evacuated from the hot water tank and condense into at least one liquids phase, and simultaneously evacuating the processed solids phase from the hot water tank and further washing the processed solids phase in an operatively connected process to further remove organic or inorganic solids from the processed solids phase contained therein.
A process for removing diluent from processed solids containing a diluent comprising,
- introducing the processed solids containing diluent liquids phase into the inlet of a tank containing at least one inlet, at least one outlet, and a hot water phase at greater than 50° C. corrected to zero gauge pressure to cause the diluent liquids phase to evaporate and exit the hot water phase whereupon the evaporated diluent liquids vapor phase is evacuated through the at least one outlet of the hot water tank and,
- evacuating the evaporated diluent liquids vapor phase through the at least one outlet located above the hot water phase of the hot water tank, connected to a hermetically sealed conduit and condensing the evaporated diluent liquids vapor phase in an operatively connected condenser into at least one recovered condensed liquids phase and,
- recycling the recovered condensed liquids phase for reuse in at least one operatively connected gas tight diluent washing process and,
- evacuating the treated processed solids from the hot water tank and further dewatering the treated processed solids to remove at least a portion of the hot water phase resulting in a cleaned solids phase substantially lacking the diluent liquids phase,
- wherein the entire process is performed in a vapor-tight and liquid-tight environment, and the processed solids are obtained from unstabilized drilling waste washed with volatile diluent.
A process for removing diluent from processed solids containing a diluent comprising,
- introducing the processed solids containing diluent liquids phase into the inlet of a tank containing at least one inlet, at least one outlet, and a hot water phase at greater than 50° C. corrected to zero gauge pressure to cause the diluent liquids phase to evaporate and exit the hot water phase whereupon the evaporated diluent liquids vapor phase is evacuated through the at least one outlet of the hot water tank and,
- evacuating the evaporated diluent liquids vapor phase through the at least one outlet located above the hot water phase of the hot water tank, connected to a hermetically sealed conduit and condensing the evaporated diluent liquids vapor phase in an operatively connected condenser into at least one recovered condensed liquids phase and,
- recycling the recovered condensed liquids phase for reuse in at least one operatively connected gas tight diluent washing process and,
- evacuating the treated processed solids from the hot water tank and further dewatering the treated processed solids to remove at least a portion of the hot water phase resulting in a cleaned solids phase substantially lacking the diluent liquids phase,
- wherein the entire process is performed in a vapor-tight and liquid-tight environment, and the processed solids are obtained from hydrocarbon contaminated solid-soil mixtures washed with a volatile diluent.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.