Method of rock decontamination
AssigneeBaker Hughes Incorporated
InventorTony P. Staples
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Contaminated soil including rocks is mechanically screened to remove most of the soil from the rock. The rocks are then further screened and a liquid is sprayed over the rocks to wash the remaining contaminants from the rocks. The rocks are then recycled back to the original location. The wash fluid with the remaining contaminants is further screened, with the remaining fluids centrifuged in combination with the addition of a polymer to promote flocculation and further separation. The remaining liquid is recycled as spray wash liquid at the beginning of the process. The flocs and screened material are transported to a waste disposal site.
Claims11
A method of decontamination of rocks in soil, comprising the steps of:
- coarsely separating the rocks from a majority of the soil;
- removing the separated soil for disposal;
- washing the rocks, collected from said separating step, to dislodge remaining contaminated soil therefrom;
- capturing wash fluid and any associated soil from said washing;
- adding a flocculating agent to said captured wash fluid to facilitate separation of solids therefrom;
- separating solids from said captured wash fluid;
- and
- recycling said captured wash fluid for said washing step.
A method of decontaminating rocks in soil from a site, comprising:
- screening the soil to separate at least in part the soil from the rocks;
- washing the rocks with a fluid to remove remaining contaminants, said washing step further comprises:
- spraying the fluid over the rocks and soil;
- capturing fluid used for washing and the solids therein;
- adding a flocculating agent to the fluid;
- separating the flocs containing solids from said fluid;
- filtering the separated fluid with a centrifuge;
- recycling filtered fluid for further washing of new rocks;
- and
- returning the washed rocks to the site.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.