Drilling fluid processing
AssigneeM-I L.L.C.
InventorsGary Fout, Michael Savoy
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of processing a return oil-based drilling fluid includes centrifuging a primarily fluids phase at a first speed and separating the primarily fluids phase into a first effluent and a first residual, centrifuging the first effluent at a second speed and separating the first effluent into a second effluent and a second residual, and centrifuging the second effluent at a third speed and separating the second effluent into a third effluent and a third residual. A surfactant, a polymer, combinations of surfactant(s) and polymer(s) and/or a wash water may be added to one or more of the return oil-based drilling fluid, the primarily fluids phase, the primarily solids phase, the first effluent, the second effluent, and the third effluent.
Claims20
A method of processing a return oil-based drilling fluid comprising:
- dividing the return oil-based drilling fluid into a primarily fluids phase and a primarily solids phase;
- centrifuging the primarily fluids phase at a first speed and separating the primarily fluids phase into a first effluent and a first residual;
- centrifuging the first effluent at a second speed, the second speed higher than the first speed, and separating the first effluent into a second effluent and a second residual;
- and
- centrifuging the second effluent at a third speed, the third speed higher than the second speed, and separating the second effluent into a third effluent and a third residual.
A method of processing a return oil-based drilling fluid comprising:
- adding a volume of a base oil fluid to the return oil-based drilling fluid, wherein the ratio of the volume of base oil fluid added to a volume of the return oil-based drilling fluid is between about 0.1 and 0.4;
- mixing the base oil fluid with the return oil-based drilling fluid to form a diluted return oil-based drilling fluid;
- adding a surfactant to the diluted return oil-based drilling fluid;
- and
- adding a polymer to the diluted return oil-based drilling fluid.
A method of processing a return oil-based drilling fluid comprising:
- adding a base oil fluid to a primarily solids phase of the return oil-based drilling fluid, wherein a ratio of a volume of the base oil fluid added to a volume of the primarily solids phase is between 0.1 and 0.2;
- separating the primarily solids phase into diluted separated fluids and separated solids;
- adding a wash water to the separated solids;
- and
- removing treated solids from the wash water.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.