System and method for separating drill cuttings from drilling fluids
AssigneeFlowback Fluids LLC
InventorTerry Gordon Culver
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system and method for separating two or more materials, such as a solid from a liquid, or a solid from a slurry, are provided. An exemplary system and method for separating drill cuttings from drilling fluids are provided, as well as a system and method of processing such separated drill cuttings. In another implementation, a system and method is provided for separating gold (or another mineral, element, or solid) from a slurry or liquid that includes mining cuttings.
Claims39
A system for separating at least a portion of drill cuttings from a combination that includes both drill cuttings and drilling fluids, the system comprising:
- a receiving hopper operable to receive an input material, which includes at least the combination of drill cuttings with solids and drilling fluids, the receiving hopper operable to provide at least a portion of the input material at one or more output openings;
- a pump operable to pump a conveyable slurry that includes the combination of at least a portion of the input material and a transport liquid;
- a separator operable to receive the pumped conveyable slurry, and operable to separate the conveyable slurry between at least a portion of the transport liquid and at least a portion of the input material of the conveyable slurry;
- a filter operable to receive the at least a portion of the input material separated by the separator, and operable to separate such input material into at least a portion of the solids of the drill cuttings that are above a specified size, and into at least a portion of the drilling fluids and solids of the drill cuttings that are below the specified size;
- a solids hopper operable to receive the at least a portion of the solids of the drill cuttings that are above the specified size, and to dispense such solids at one or more output openings;
- a conveyor operable to receive the at least a portion of the solids of the drill cuttings that are above the specified size, and to transport such solids of the drill cuttings to the solids hopper;
- and
- a mixer operable to receive a drying agent and the solids of the drill cuttings provided from the solids hopper, and operable to mix the drying agent with the solids of the drill cuttings to produce output drill cuttings.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.