SUBSEA DRILL FLUID PUMPING AND TREATMENT SYSTEM FOR DEEPWATER DRILLING

摘要

A method is disclosed for offshore drilling in which a bit (44) is driven at a far end of a drill string (34), drilling fluid (32) is injected into the drill string from surface drilling facilities, and drilling fluid flushes the borehole (16) at the bit and entrains drill cuttings (76). The drilling fluid is drawn off near the mudline and is treated through a subsea processing system (22) to remove the cuttings from the drilling fluid. The treated drilling fluid is then returned to the surface with a subsea return pump system (26) and passed to surface drilling facilities for injection and recirculation.