System and method for removing drilling fluid from drill cuttings using direct heat
AssigneeElavo Energy Solutions Ltd.
InventorBarry MCINTYRE
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Systems and methods for removing drilling fluid from wet drill cuttings are described. According to some embodiments, the method comprises, at a pressure above atmospheric pressure: combusting a rich air-fuel mixture at a rich combustion temperature, thereby producing a generally low oxygen, inert rich exhaust; providing said rich exhaust to the wet drill cuttings to contact and directly heat the wet drill cuttings by convection so that at least a portion of the drilling fluid is evaporated therefrom and at least some dry solid drill cuttings remain; condensing at least a portion of the evaporated drilling fluid to produce condensed drilling fluid; and separately recovering the condensed drilling fluid and the dry solid drill cuttings.
Claims17
A system comprising:
- a rich combustion chamber having at least one air inlet and at least one fuel inlet, wherein the rich combustion chamber is configured to produce a generally low oxygen, inert exhaust;
- a processor having a processing chamber, the processing chamber having
- a fixed stage comprising a fixed bed and configured to receive the exhaust from the rich combustion chamber,
- an agitator stage upstream of and in fluid communication with the fixed bed and configured to receive the exhaust from the fixed stage, the agitator stage operatively connected to an inlet through which wet material to be processed is provided to the agitator stage and the agitator stage having a mixing device configured to agitate the wet material received through the inlet;
- wherein the processor is configured to
- agitate the wet material by the mixing device and provide the exhaust to the agitator stage of the processing chamber via the fixed bed stage of the processing chamber to contact and directly heat the wet material by convection so that at least a portion of fluid is evaporated therefrom and at least some dry solids remain,
- provide evaporated fluid to an evaporated fluids outlet for recovery therefrom, and
- provide dry solids to a dry solids outlet for recovery therefrom;
- and
- at least one condensing device configured to condense at least a portion of the evaporated drilling fluids received directly or indirectly from the evaporated drilling fluids outlet and to provide condensed drilling fluid to a condenser outlet for recovery therefrom.
A processor comprising:
- a processing chamber, the processing chamber having
- an inlet through which wet material is received into the processing chamber, an evaporated fluids outlet, a dry solids outlet, a process gas inlet configured to receive process gas, a fixed stage comprising a fixed bed in fluid communication with the process gas inlet and configured to receive the process gas therefrom, an agitator stage upstream of and in fluid communication with the fixed bed and configured to receive the process gas therefrom, the agitator stage operatively connected to the inlet and having a mixing device configured to agitate the wet materials received therefrom,
- wherein the processor is configured to
- provide the process gas to the fixed bed and the agitator stage, thereby heating the fixed bed and agitator stage so as to heat and agitate the wet materials so that at least a portion of fluid is evaporated therefrom and at least some dry solids remain,
- provide evaporated fluid to the evaporated fluids outlet for recovery therefrom, and
- provide dry solids to the dry solids outlet for recovery therefrom;
- and
- wherein the processor operates at a pressure above atmospheric pressure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.