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US 6,602,181 B2Granted
Treatments for drill cuttings
AssigneeBaker Hughes Incorporated
InventorsLirio Quintero, Jose Limia
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention provides a method for treating drill cuttings, preferably marine cuttings, preferably in situ, so that the cuttings can be discharged into the environment, preferably back into marine waters without causing oxygen depletion of marine sediment. In a preferred embodiment, the treatment emulsifies and then encapsulates free hydrocarbons in the marine cuttings.
Claims40
A method comprising:
- providing cuttings produced during drilling of a marine wellbore, said cuttings comprising free hydrocarbons;
- and,
- treating said cuttings at said marine wellbore with a composition effective to disperse said free hydrocarbons, producing dispersed free hydrocarbons, said treating also changing wettability of said cuttings from oil wettable to water wettable;
- encapsulating said dispersed free hydrocarbons with an encapsualting material, thereby producing a converted cutting mixture comprising isolated hydrocarbons effective to disperse upon discharge into marine waters;
- and,
- discharging into said marine waters said converted cutting mixture comprising said isolated hydrocarbons.
3 more elements
A method comprising:
- providing cuttings produced during drilling of a marine wellbore, said cuttings comprising free hydrocarbons;
- and,
- treating said cuttings with a composition effective to emulsify said free hydrocarbons and to produce emulsified droplets comprising said free hydrocarbons said treating also changing wettability of said cuttings from oil wettable to water wettable;
- encapsulating said emulsified droplets with an encapsulating material, thereby producing a converted cutting mixture comprising isolated hydrocarbons effective to disperse upon discharge into marine waters;
- and
- discharging into said marine waters said converted cutting mixture comprising said isolated hydrocarbons.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.