Treatment of muds to recover sand useful in construction

摘要

Residual muds (mineral or other) are first sieved (32) to remove coarse particles (36) and the filtrate (40) passed through a hydrocyclone (46). The bottoms (termed primary bottoms (36)) are collected and the overflow (52) eliminated or recycled. The primary bottoms pass through a second hydrocyclone (70), producing secondary bottoms (90) and the overflow (78) is again eliminated or recycled. The secondary bottoms are dried in a filter (92), with optional dehydration to extract the mineral fraction. The filtrate may also be recycled.