# US 2020/0399966 A1 · Continuous solids discharge > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2020/0399966 A1 - Document ID: US20200399966A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/856,965 - Filed: 2020-04-23 - Published: 2020-12-24 - Earliest claimed: 2019-06-21 - Assignees: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. - Applicants: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. - Inventors: Rajesh C. Kapila; Barry Hoffman - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20200399966A1 ## CPC - E21B 21/066: {with further treatment of the solids, e.g. for disposal} - B01F 23/50: Mixing liquids with solids (displacing one liquid by another in dispersions of solids in liquids B01D12/00) - B01F 25/31243: {Eductor or eductor-type venturi, i.e. the main flow being injected through the venturi with high speed in the form of a jet} - E21B 21/106: {Valve arrangements outside the borehole, e.g. kelly valves (valves specifically for maintaining circulation of drilling fluid while connecting or disconnecting tubular joints E21B21/019)} - E21B 21/01: Arrangements for handling drilling fluids or cuttings outside the borehole, e.g. mud boxes - E21B: EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS - B01F: MIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING OR DISPERSING (mixing paints B44D3/06) ## Abstract A solids discharge assembly for disposing of oil and gas well treated solids, the assembly including a discharge eductor and solids valve. The eductor includes a solids inlet to receive the treated solids, and, to transfer the treated solids to a chamber of the eductor, a fluid inlet to receive a motive fluid and transport the motive fluid through a tapered nozzle coupled to the fluid inlet, a tip of the tapered nozzle located in the chamber, and a discharge outlet to receive a discharge mixture of the treated solids and the motive fluid, from the chamber, The chamber has a reduced pressure of less than atmospheric pressure when the motive fluid is streaming from the fluid inlet to the discharge outlet. The solids valve is located in a solids conduit coupled to the solids inlet of the eductor. The solids conduit is evacuated. The solids valve is closed to prevent the transfer of the treated solids into the solids inlet and to prevent the flow of the motive fluid through the solids conduit when the chamber has a pressure equal to or greater than atmospheric pressure, and open to permit the transfer of the treated solids into the solids inlet when the chamber has the reduced pressure. Method and system embodiments for disposing of oil or gas well treated solids are also disclosed. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A solids discharge assembly for disposing of oil and gas well treated solids, the assembly comprising: a discharge eductor, the discharge eductor including: a solids inlet configured to receive the treated solids, and, to transfer the treated solids to a chamber of the discharge eductor, a fluid inlet configured to receive a motive fluid and transport the motive fluid through a tapered nozzle coupled to the fluid inlet, a tip of the tapered nozzle located in the chamber, and a discharge outlet configured to receive a discharge mixture of the treated solids and the motive fluid, from the chamber, wherein the chamber is configured to have a reduced pressure of less than atmospheric pressure when the motive fluid is streaming from the fluid inlet to the discharge outlet; and a solids valve located in a solids conduit coupled to the solids inlet of the discharge eductor, wherein solids conduit is evacuated and the solids valve is configured to be: closed to prevent the transfer of the treated solids into the solids inlet and to prevent the flow of the motive fluid through the solids conduit when the chamber has a pressure equal to or greater than atmospheric pressure, and open to permit the transfer of the treated solids into the solids inlet when the chamber has the reduced pressure. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The assembly of claim 1, wherein a motive fluid pressure of the motive fluid at the fluid inlet is a value in a range from 20 to 100 psig. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The assembly of claim 1, further including a fluid pump configured to provide a flow of the motive fluid through a fluid conduit coupled to the fluid inlet, wherein a motor driving the fluid pump is controlled to reduce the flow of the motive fluid when the fluid pressure at the fluid inlet is greater than 100 psig. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The assembly of claim 1, wherein the solids valve is configured to close when the fluid pressure at the fluid inlet is less than 20 psig. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The assembly of claim 1, wherein the solids valve is configured to close when there is a pressure imbalance of 2 psig or greater between a portion of the solids conduit upstream from the solids valve and a portion of the solids conduit downstream from the solids valve and coupled to the solids inlet of the discharge eductor. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The assembly of claim 1, wherein an interior of the solids inlet of the discharge eductor has a minimal cross-sectional area value in a range from at least about 7 to 20 inch. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The assembly of claim 1, wherein the solids inlet of the discharge eductor tapers from a maximal cross-sectional area at an opening of the solids inlet to a minimal cross-sectional area at an opening to the chamber of the discharge eductor. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The assembly of claim 1, further including a solids feeder coupled to the solids conduit and located upstream to the location of the solids valve in the solids conduit, wherein the rotary solids feeder is configured to provide a metered delivery of the treated solids to the solids inlet and to maintain the reduced pressure. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The assembly of claim 8, further including a second solids valve located in a portion of the solids conduit located upstream to the location of the solids feeder, the second solids valve configured to be: closed to prevent the transfer of the treated solids to the solids feeder when there is a pressure imbalance of 2 psig or greater between the portion of the solids conduit located upstream to the location of the solids feeder and a portion of the solids conduit located downstream from the solids feeder, and open when the pressure imbalance of is less than 2 psig. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The assembly of claim 1, further including one or more of: a first pressure transmitter connected to the solids conduit connecting the solids inlet of the discharge eductor and the solids valve; a second pressure transmitter connected to a fluid delivery conduit connected to the fluid inlet of the discharge eductor; a third pressure transmitter connected to the solids conduit connecting a solids feeder 168 of the assembly to a solids conveyor; a fourth pressure transmitter connected to the solids conduit connecting the solids valve and the solids feeder connected to the solids conduit; and a fifth pressure transmitter located in a discharge conduit connected to the discharge outlet of the discharge eductor. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The assembly of claim 10, further including a program logic circuit configured to receive electrical signals corresponding to pressures measured by the one or more pressure transmitters and to transmit electrical control signals to actuate one or more of the solids valve, the second solids valve, the discharge valve, the solids feeder or a fluid pump configured to provide a flow of the motive fluid to the eductor. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The assembly of claim 1, further including a sampling tank coupled to the discharge outlet, the sampling tank configured to receive a portion of the discharge mixture. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The assembly of claim 1, further including a discharge valve located in a discharge conduit coupled to the discharge outlet of the eductor, wherein the discharge valve is configured to be: closed if the discharge conduit has a pressure that is above an ambient air pressure surrounding the apparatus, and open if the pressure in the discharge conduit is equal to or below the ambient air pressure. ### Claim 14 An oil and gas well drilling system, the system comprising: a thermal extraction unit, the thermal extraction unit configured to receive a feed of oil and gas well waste solids and to extract hydrocarbon and water vapor from the waste solids to form treated solids, wherein the treated solids are maintained at a first reduced pressure of less than atmospheric pressure; and a solids discharge assembly for disposing of the treated solids, the assembly including: a discharge eductor, the discharge eductor including: a solids inlet configured to receive the treated solids, and, to transfer the treated solids to a chamber of the discharge eductor, a fluid inlet configured to receive a motive fluid and transport the motive fluid through a tapered nozzle coupled to the fluid inlet, a tip of the tapered nozzle located in the chamber, and a discharge outlet configured to receive a discharge mixture of the treated solids and the motive fluid from the chamber, wherein the chamber is configured to have a second reduced pressure of less than atmospheric pressure when the motive fluid is streaming from the fluid inlet to the discharge outlet; and a solids valve located in a solids conduit coupled to the solids inlet of the discharge eductor, wherein the solids conduit is evacuated and the solids valve is configured to be: closed to prevent the transfer of the treated solids into the solids inlet and to prevent the flow of the motive fluid into the evacuated solids conduit when the chamber has a pressure equal to or greater than atmospheric pressure, and open to permit the transfer of the treated solids into the solids inlet when the chamber has the second reduced pressure. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14, wherein the solids value is configured to be open when a pressure imbalance between the first reduced pressure and the second reduced pressure is 2 psig or less. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14, further including a primary eductor coupled to the thermal extraction unit, the primary eductor configured to generate the first reduced pressure in the thermal extraction unit. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14, further including a solids cooling conveyor, the solids cooling conveyor, while at the first reduced pressure, is configured to receive the treated solids from the thermal extraction unit and to cool and transfer the treated solids to the solids conduit of the solids discharge assembly. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The system of claim 17, further including one or more cyclone separators coupled to the solids cooling conveyor, the one or more cyclone separators while at the first reduced pressure configured to: receive additional amounts of the hydrocarbon and water vapor from the solids cooling conveyor to extract additional amounts of the treated solids therefrom, and transfer the additional amounts of the treated solids to a second one of the solids discharge assembly. ### Claim 19 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14, the system further including one or more cyclone separators, the one or more cyclone separators, while at the first reduced pressure, are configured to: receive the hydrocarbon and water vapor from the thermal extraction unit and extract additional amounts of the treated solids therefrom, and transfer the additional amounts of the treated solids to a second one of the solids discharge assembly. ### Claim 20 A method for disposing of oil and gas well treated solids, the method comprising: receiving treated solids into a solids conduit coupled to a solids inlet of a discharge eductor; transferring the treated solids to a chamber of the discharge eductor; transporting a motive fluid to a fluid inlet of the discharge eductor and through a tapered nozzle of the discharge eductor coupled to the fluid inlet, a tip of the tapered nozzle located in the chamber; discharging a discharge mixture of the treated solids and the motive fluid from the chamber to a discharge outlet of the discharge eductor; and wherein the solids conduit is evacuated and a solids valve located in the solids conduit is configured to: close to prevent the transfer of the treated solids into the solids inlet and to prevent the flow of the motive fluid through the solids conduit when the chamber has a pressure equal to or greater than atmospheric pressure, and open to permit the transfer of the treated solids into the solids inlet when the chamber has the reduced pressure.