System and Method for Cleaning Wellbore Cuttings and Drilling Fluid

摘要

A system for cleaning slurry containing drilling cuttings or drilling fluids may include a slurry sump, separator, screen, liquid tank, surge hopper, and a cleaner. The cleaner may further include a rotary retort furnace which may both dry the slurry to a cake and oxidize any organic matter. The furnace may operate at a temperature of between 1200° F. and 2000° F., inclusively. The cleaning system may recycle the liquid used by returning it to the truck that brought the slurry, or, in the case of drilling fluid, collecting the liquid for use as a fuel source or reconstituting the drilling fluid by mixing the liquid with the cake after heating. The cleaned slurry produced by the system may be suitable for re-use or non-hazardous disposal.

主权项

1. A system for cleaning a slurry, the slurry comprising at least a solid material and a liquid, comprising:
a separator; a screen; and a cleaner;wherein the separator is configured to separate the slurry into a first portion and a second portion, the first portion comprising excess liquid substantially free of particulate matter, and the second portion comprising partially concentrated material, wherein the screen is configured to remove the liquid from said second portion until it contains at least about 85% solid matter and less than about 2% combustible organic matter, and wherein the cleaner includes a furnace, said furnace configured to heat said second portion to a temperature sufficient to remove substantially all liquid and oxidize substantially all organic matter contained in said second portion.