APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONVEYING DRILL CUTTINGS

摘要

An apparatus for conveying drill cuttings produced in the construction of an oil or gas wells, the apparatus comprising a vessel for receiving material to be conveyed, a metering screw and a discharge line, the metering screw for moving the material from the vessel into said discharge line, and at least one gas inlet for gas for providing positive pressure to facilitate movement of the material through the discharge line, a pressure sensor for sensing pressure in the discharge line and control apparatus (PD) for automatically controlling the metering screw in response to a pressure sensed by the pressure sensor apparatus. The vessel further comprises a gas inlet for allowing gas into the vessel to inhibit material from being blown from the discharge line across the metering screw and into the vessel. comprising the steps of loading a vessel with drill cuttings, activating a metering screw to move drill cuttings from the vessel to a discharge line and applying a gas to the drill cuttings to facilitate movement of the drill cuttings along the discharge line, measuring gas pressure in the discharge line in response to which the speed of rotation of the metering screw is adjusted. A method further comprises gas feeding into the vessel through an additional gas inlet for allowing gas into the vessel to inhibit material from being blown from the discharge line across the metering screw and into the vessel.