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A portable mud mixing system for adding wet or dry components to oilfield drilling mud provides an enclosed mobile platform including at least one mud mixing hopper, at least one mud mixing tanks, a suction piping assembly and a discharge piping assembly which blend the additives within the circulating drilling mud into a homogeneous mixture, circulate the mixture, and provide for introduction of the mixture into production, the system providing transfer of the drilling mud and mixture from pre-mix to production in one singular integrated system.
A preliminary review of prior art patents was conducted by the applicant which reveal prior art patents in a similar field or having similar use. However, the prior art inventions do not disclose the same or similar elements as the present integrate mud mixing system, nor do they present the material components in a manner contemplated or anticipated in the prior art.
A drilling mud reclamation system processes drilling mud and restores the integrity of the drilling mud for recycled use in production, providing a closed loop system to remove cuttings in U.S. Pat. No. 8,844,650 to Saiz. This system includes at least one clean mud mixing tank, at least one pump system, at least one dirty mud shaker and an optional conveyor system to remove the debris, at least one recycled mud reclamation tank and one or more filtering pump or centrifugal system. It does not provide for the addition of wet or dry additives to circulating mud. It is basically a drilling mud filter.
In U.S. Pat. No. 7,476,318 to Tibban, a drilling mud tank provides a mud tank with sloping walls, diverts sinking aggregate to a sand trap at a convergence in the floor of the tank using suction from a sand pump. A center divider separates the mud from a dirty tank to a clean tank for redundant cleaning and aggregate removal.
Etter, U.S. Pat. No. 4,474,254, discloses a portable drilling mud system on a trailer having an upper platform above the trailer containing a mud degassing vessel, a solids separator and an additive blending unit mounted above a tank, with the degassing system retracted and extended using hydraulic cylinders to raise the vessel from a transport position to a working position and back. While Etter includes the mixing component, it does not configure it circulating system nor provide the mixing tank system with the suction piping and discharge piping systems for uniform mixture delivery of the additive into the production end point.
Drilling mud is used in down hole drilling in nearly every oil and gas drilling operation. It is introduced into the drilling operation through the drill stem and the drill bit to provide lubrication for better cutting and heat reductions and to extract and evacuate drilling debris generated from the drilling operation. Over time, several drilling mud additives have been conceived and used depending on the subjective geological formation into which the drilling occurs. Numerous additives are currently on the market, which are blended with the drilling mud in order to continually enhance the efficiency of the drilling operation, which may change throughout the course of a singular drilling operation.
Additives are available for various uses and are supplied in various types. Broad classes of additives are suited for water-based drilling fluids, oil based fluids and synthetic based fluids. Water based additives include:
The primary objective of the present integrated mobile mud mixing system is to provide an on-site mud mixing system, closed from the external and outdoor environment, to enable the subjective mixing of homogenous drilling fluids and additives which are mixed, circulated for homogenous enhancement and site delivery during drilling operations for water based, oil based or synthetic based drilling fluids consistent and directly suited for the geological issues at a precise level of drilling and production as the operation is conducted from initial bore to completion. A secondary benefit is provided by allowing the redundant circulation of the fluids to ensure that all additives requiring pre-mixture and fully hydrated prior to introduction in to the drilling fluids. A third benefit is to provide internal storage at the point of the mixing hopper for bagged drilling additives to avoid exposure to harsh elements which are present in an external environment to allow for ready access stockpiling of the variety of additives forecast in a drilling operation.
The following drawings are submitted with this utility patent application.
A portable mud mixing station 10, as shown in
A first embodiment external view of the mobile platform 20 is shown in
As further disclosed, the portable mud mixing station 10 provides for the addition and blending of both wet and dry additives through the additive hopper 40, directing the additives in fluid through at least one tank gun 62 with a plurality of jet nozzles 63 and an agitator 64 for blending the liquid mixtures within the at least one tank 60, with two tanks 60 shown in
The discharge piping assembly 100, as shown in
The discharge piping assembly 100, in a first embodiment as disclosed in
A first supply inlet 140 accepts drilling fluids through a first supply valve 142, while a second supply inlet 150 accepts drilling fluids through a second supply valve 152. The drilling fluids may be diverted through the selection of valves into the first tank 60 and/or the second tank 60. On either the first supply inlet 140 or the second supply inlet 150, the introduced drilling fluids may be diverted through closure of a hopper isolation valve 160 toward the additive hopper 40, diverted by closure of a hopper feed valve 162 to the first tank 60 and/or the second tank 60, or for continuous circulation, by opening the hopper supply valve 164 to expel the contents of the additive hopper 40 into the piping 105 and circulating fluids, and further opening the hopper isolation valve 160 and the hopper feed valve 162 for diversion of the drilling fluid and additive mixture from the first tank to the second tank, the first tank to the first tank, or from the second tank to the second tank. It is also contemplated within the scope of the discharge piping assembly 100 that more than one additive hopper 40 may be provided, with a separate hopper supply valve 164 emptying into the same piping, in which case one may be the dry additive hopper 40 and the other the wet additive hopper 40 to prevent clotting of the additive or caking within the respective additive hoppers 40 though not illustrated in the drawings. Where no additive is being blended with the drilling fluids, the drilling fluid may bypass the entire discharge piping assembly and flow directly from one or more supply inlets straight to one or more discharge valves, which could then deliver the drilling fluids, as well as the additive mixtures to the production site, with or without the additives.
The suction piping assembly 200, as shown in
The preferred specification of the station components of the include at least on 360 bbl capacity mud mixing tank 60 or two 230 bbl mud mixing tanks 60, rear axle and wheels 32 beneath the mobile platform 20 for transport to a remote drilling site, the trailer enclosure 29 with the upper deck 27 and catwalk 23, at least one upper opening 24 into the interior 26 through the manway 25 providing entry to the inner platform floor 21 within the trailer enclosure 29 for system operation and valve access, and one or more external ladders 28 which lead from the ground to the upper deck 22. The suction pumps 210, 220, are ideally at least one ANSI pump with a hard iron fluid end including an impeller, a large bore stuffing box stainless steel shaft sleeve, premium bearings, and a tungsten carbide cartridge mechanical seal, mounted on a fabricated base with no less than a 75 HP, 1800 rpm, 3/60/230-460 volt, 365T frame 1.15SF explosion proof electrical motor, meeting Class 1, Division 2 specs. Each mud agitator 64 is ideally supplied as having a helical bevel gear box with a 10 HP, 60/230-460 volt explosion proof motor 65 direct drive couple-mounted to a gear box unit having a 42″ impeller with keyless couplings. The mud mixing additive hopper 40 is ideally provided as at least a 6′ mixing hopper with tapered sides 42 leading to a 6″ discharge chute 44, 2″ jet nozzle to introduce fluids into the hopper for clearance, and a butterfly hopper supply valve 164 with a handle to open and close the discharge chute 44 into the circulating discharge piping assembly 100 below, which is further directed to either the at least one mud mixing tank or another. The additive hopper would also include a table extension 45 for opening heavy bags of mixture materials and avoid having to suspend the bags directly over the additive hopper 40. The discharge piping assembly 100 is provided to receive drilling fluids, mix the intended additives in a preferred proportion and content, and circulate the mixed drilling fluids and additives into a homogeneous mixture with agitation, while the suction piping system 200 is intended to evacuate the mud mixing tank or tanks to the local drilling site. A plurality of connected piping, flow valves and pumps, supply lines, crossover isolations valves and discharge lines are integrated within the discharge piping assembly, all of which may be locally operated or remotely operated through the electrical control center 70, while the suction piping assembly 200 defines one or more suction pumps 210, 220, for circulation, draining and input of the fluids into, within and from the mud mixing tank or tanks. The discharge piping assembly 100 and suction piping assembly 200 operate independently, but work cooperatively to perform and complete the mixing of the mud fluids and additives into a homogeneous mixture.
In
In a single tank version, the piping, valves, motors, pumps and other components are reduced to provide basically half the components as disclosed in the two tank version, and absent the crossover valve, and without redundancy and also with a smaller profile that the one shown in the drawing figures in the mobile platform.
While the portable mud mixing station 10 has been particularly shown and described with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.