DRILL CUTTINGS TRANSFER SYSTEM AND RELATED METHODS

摘要

A system for handling drill cuttings conveys cuttings into bulk tanks (16) via a conduit. The bulk tanks (16) have a lower portion (28) that converges to an elongated opening (29). A conveyance member (32) positioned at the elongated opening forces the cuttings out of a discharge port (36) at the bottom of the bulk tank. One suitable conveyance member (32) is a screw-type conveyor coupled to a motor (33) that applies a motive force to the cuttings. The bulk tank lower portion (28) can be formed as a wedge or trough that generally conforms to the configuration of the conveyance member (32). The bulk tanks (16) hold the cuttings until it can be discharged via the discharge port (36) to a transport vessel for processing or disposal. For offshore operations, the system includes a separation unit on the rig that forms the cuttings from fluid returning from the wellbore and a cuttings flow unit that conveys the cuttings from the separation unit to the bulk tanks (16).