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US 7,404,903 B2Granted
Drill cuttings treatment system
AssigneeRJ Oil Sands Inc.
InventorsWade Ralph Bozak, Michael E Kessick
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A process for the separation of oil from invert mud drill cuttings. Invert mud drill cuttings are supplied to a mixing chamber of a jet pump. The invert mud drill cuttings are agitated within the jet pump to effect transformation of the solids-oil matrix of the invert mud drill cuttings. Oil is then separeated from the transformed solids-oil matrix in a separator.
Claims6
A process for phase separation of invert mud drill cuttings containing a mixture of a solids-oil matrix and a water fraction, the process comprising the steps of:
- supplying the invert mud drill cuttings to a mixing chamber of a jet pump;
- agitating the invert mud drill cuttings within the mixing chamber by supplying water as a motive fluid to the mixing chamber of the jet pump to effect a matrix transformation of the solids-oil matrix into an oil and water fraction and a solids fraction, wherein the jet pump operates at a Reynolds number above 250,000;
- supplying the invert mud drill cuttings containing the transformed solids-oil matrix to a separator;
- and
- separating the oil and water fraction from the solids fraction in the separator.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.