System for extracting contaminants and hydrocarbons from cuttings waste in oil well drilling

A system for drying, decontaminating, and incinerating oil well cuttings containing water, comprising:

• a. a plurality of separate chambers, having first and second end portions, each of the chambers defining an incinerating chamber for receiving contaminated oil cuttings at the first end of each of the incinerating chambers;
• b. auger means disposed substantially within the length of each of the incinerating chambers for moving the cuttings between the first and second end of each of the incinerating chambers;
• c. heating means including electrical heating rods, contained within the length of the wall of each of the incinerating chambers for providing sufficient heat within each of the incinerating chambers to a temperature of at least 750 degrees F. for drying, decontaminating and incinerating the cuttings, the heating means including heat conducting means comprising a continuous layer over the chamber wall forming a composite layer with the wall of the drying chamber that is positioned between the heating rods and the wall of the drying chamber for providing uniform conduction of heat from the rods into the chamber along substantially the entire length of the chamber;
• d. exhaust means in communication with each of the incinerating chambers for exhausting gases from the incinerating chambers during incineration of the cuttings;
• and
• e. heat exchange means in communication with the exhaust means, for providing a flow of cool fluid to receive heat from the hot gases of the incinerating chambers, to reduce the temperature of the gases so that the gases to a degree for exhaust into ambient atmosphere.

An apparatus for drying, decontaminating and incinerating oil well cuttings containing water and hydrocarbons, the apparatus comprising:

• a. a base portion;
• b. at least one horizontally disposed chamber mounted on the base portion, the chamber having a first end for receiving the well oil well cuttings thereinto;
• c. auger means disposed substantially within the length of the chamber for moving the cuttings from the first end to the second end of the chamber;
• d. means housed within the wall of the chamber, substantially surrounding the chamber along its entire length, for providing heat within the chamber to a temperature of at least 700 degrees F. for drying and incinerating the wet oil well cuttings moving through the chamber, the means including a plurality of electrical heating rods disposed within the internal wall of the drying chambers, and further comprising heat conducting means comprising a continuous layer over the chamber wall forming a composite layer with the wall of the drying chamber that is positioned between the heating rods and the wall of the drying chamber for providing uniform conduction of heat from the rods into the chamber along substantially the entire length of the chamber;
• e. heat conducting means positioned between the heating rods in the wall of the drying chamber for providing a means for uniformly conducting heat from the rods into the chamber along substantially the entire length of the chamber wall;
• and
• f. heat exchange means for reducing the temperature of the exhaust gases from each of the incinerating chambers to a temperature not to exceed 90 degrees F.