Drilling fluid remediation system

A method for removing and treating hydrocarbon-contaminated drill cuttings suspended in drilling mud so that the cuttings are made environmentally acceptable while the hydrocarbon contaminants are contemporaneously captured and returned for use in said drilling mud, comprising the steps of:

• (a) passing a mixture of said mud and said cuttings through a gas buster;
• (b) using one or more shakers to make a first separation of said cuttings from said mud to obtain (1) a mud stream and (2) a first slurry containing said cuttings;
• (c) feeding said mud stream into a mud cleaning pit, said mud cleaning pit having a plurality of bins divided by mud return equalizers for the progressive movement of said mud stream through a desander, a desilter, and a mud cleaner;
• (d) feeding said first slurry into a classifier/grit dewatering unit to separate said cuttings from said slurry to obtain a drill solids discharge, said dewatering unit also being adapted to receive effluent from said desander, said desilter, and said mud cleaner and further separate said effluent, said dewatering unit having a variable speed motor driving screw feeder to move said drill solids discharge from said unit and said unit being adapted to connect to a centrifuge pump for returning settled mud to said mud cleaning pit;
• (e) passing said drill solids discharge into a rotating, heat-jacketed trundle for a time and at a temperature sufficient to vaporize said hydrocarbon contaminants to obtain (1) processed solids and (2) hydrocarbon vapors;
• (f) capturing and routing said hydrocarbon vapors through a dust scrubber;
• (g) condensing said hydrocarbon vapors to obtain a liquid hydrocarbon;
• and
• (h) pumping said liquid hydrocarbon to said mud cleaning pit for admixture with said mud stream.

An apparatus for use in removing and treating hydrocarbon-contaminated drill cuttings suspended in drilling mud so that the cuttings are made environmentally acceptable while the hydrocarbon contaminants are contemporaneously captured and returned for use in said drilling mud, comprising:

• (a) means for separating a flow of a mixture of said mud and said cuttings into (1) a mud stream and (2) a first slurry containing said cuttings;
• (b) a holding tank for receiving said mud stream;
• (c) a classifier/grit dewatering unit for receiving said slurry and separating said cuttings from said slurry to obtain a drill solids discharge;
• (d) means for receiving and heating said drill solids discharge for a time and at a temperature sufficient to vaporize said hydrocarbon contaminants to obtain (1) processed solids and (2) hydrocarbon vapors;
• (e) means to capture said hydrocarbon vapors;
• (f) a condenser for condensing said hydrocarbon vapors to obtain a liquid hydrocarbon;
• and
• (g) means for transporting said liquid hydrocarbon from said condenser to said holding tank for admixture with said mud stream.

An apparatus for use in removing and treating hydrocarbon-contaminated drill cuttings suspended in drilling mud so that the cuttings are made environmentally acceptable while the hydrocarbon contaminants are contemporaneously captured and returned for use in said drilling mud, comprising:

• (a) one or more shakers adapted to receive a flow of a mixture of said mud and said cuttings for initially separating said mixture into (1) a mud stream and (2) a first slurry containing said cuttings;
• (b) a holding tank for receiving said mud stream from said shaker(s), said holding tank having a plurality of bins divided by mud return equalizers for the progressive movement of said mud stream through a desander, a desilter, and a mud cleaner;
• (c) a classifier/grit dewatering unit for receiving said slurry and separating said cuttings from said slurry to obtain a drill solids discharge, said dewatering unit also being adapted to receive effluent from said desander, said desilter, and said mud cleaner and further separate said effluent, said dewatering unit having a variable speed motor driving screw feeder to move said drill solids discharge from said unit and said unit being adapted to connect to a centrifuge pump for returning settled mud to said mud cleaning pit;
• (d) a rotating, heat-jacketed trundle for receiving and heating said drill solids discharge for a time and at a temperature sufficient to vaporize said hydrocarbon contaminants to obtain (1) processed solids and (2) hydrocarbon vapors;
• (e) means to capture said hydrocarbon vapors;
• (f) a condenser for condensing said hydrocarbon vapors to obtain a liquid hydrocarbon;
• and
• (g) means for transporting said liquid hydrocarbon from said condenser to said holding tank for admixture with said mud stream.