Apparatus for treating oil field wastes containing hydrocarbons

Abstract

A method and apparatus of treating oil field wastes and particularly spent drilling fluids which contain barite and hydrocarbons which includes placing the drilling fluids into the upper end of a downwardly directed rotating kiln. Fuel and pressurized air are inserted into a furnace connected to the upper end of the kiln for supplying a fire to the drilling fluids in the kiln for igniting and burning the hydrocarbons in the drilling fluids as fuel until the drilling fluid is dry. The high weight impurities are separated from the dried drilling fluid by gravity from the kiln and the light weight fines and more valuable components including the barite are removed from the kiln by suction. The more valuable components are mixed with new components for providing a recycled drilling fluid. The gases separated from the light weight dry drilling fluids are washed to remove any pollutants before exhaustion to the atmosphere. The particulates cleaned from the gases may be recycled to the kiln. The present apparatus and method uses the hydrocarbons in the drilling fluid as a source of fuel, recovers valuable constituents of the drilling fluid, such as barite and clay which can be recycled into new drilling fluids, and produces a residue that is environmentally safe.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.