The present invention relates to a method for disposing of spent drilling mud.
The invention is directed to a system. The system comprises a vehicle travel path defined by a first ramp, a second ramp, and a dumping station. The dumping station is disposed between the two ramps and comprises a screen and a tank. The tank is disposed directly beneath the screen and the vehicle travel path. A slurry material flowpath is defined above and on the screen. The screen separates the slurry material into a particulate-rich flowpath and a fluid-rich flowpath.
The invention is also directed to a method. The method comprises supporting at least a portion of a vehicle on a bridge having spaced-apart tracks. A slurry is received from the vehicle at a screen disposed between the spaced-apart tracks. The slurry is separated into a fluid-rich portion and a particulate-rich portion with the screen. The fluid-rich portion is received in a tank disposed directly below the screen. At least some of the fluid-rich portion is cleaned to prepare a drilling fluid.
The invention is also directed to an apparatus. The apparatus comprises a bridge, a screen, a vibrator, a tank, and a conveyor. The bridge has a spaced pair of tracks. The screen is disposed between the pair of tracks. The vibrator is operatively connected to the screen. The tank is disposed directly below the screen and the tracks. The conveyor is disposed at an end of the screen.
The invention is also directed to a system. The system comprises a forward travel path, a screen, and an open-topped tank. The forward travel path is for a wheeled vehicle and includes a partially open platform. The screen is situated beneath the platform. The open-topped tank is situated beneath the screen.
The screen may be a moving screen conveyor, which deposits material over a side of the tank or at a chute.
Drilling fluid is utilized in underground construction operations, such as horizontal directional drilling, to form an underground construction location used to dislodge the underground material. This material travels up a borehole as “spent mud”. The spent mud may be removed from the work site and collected in a vacuum tank.
Spent mud presents disposal problems. The spent mud contains the original drilling fluid—a valuable material for use in drilling operations. However, dislodged soil, rocks, and other debris is present in the spent mud, creating a slurry that is inappropriate for immediate reuse.
Further, environmental regulations in some jurisdictions make the deposit of wet material on the ground inappropriate. So while larger particulates contained in a spent mud slurry may be valuable as ground fill, it often cannot be placed in a landfill while wet. Therefore, a system to easily deposit spent mud in a way that removes and dries particulates while recycling material for reuse as drilling mud is advantageous.
Referring to
Each dumping station 16, along with the ramps 18, defines a vehicle travel path that may accommodate a vehicle tank 20. As shown, the vehicle tank 20 may be supported by a truck 21 or trailer 22. Each truck 21 or trailer 22 may also comprise auxiliary tanks 17 for transporting water and clean drilling mud to a drill site.
The tank 12 may be free-standing, as shown in
With reference to
One or more shields 28 may be provided at an end of the dumping station 16 to deflect material from a tank away from a ramp 18 and into the processing tank 12. Preferably, a shield 28 may be provided at each end of the dumping station 16 such that identical operation is possible in either direction of tank 20 travel. The shield 28 minimizes the amount of material from the vehicle tank 20 that fails to enter the processing tank 12.
With reference now to
The screen 30 may be vibrated or conveyed toward the material conveyer 14. As shown in
While a vibrator 31 is shown in the figures for use with the screen 30, it should be understood that a conveyable screen system such as a fertilizer chain may be utilized without departing from the spirit of the invention. Additionally, the screen 30 may be static, and a chain or other apparatus can drag particulates across the screen for disposal on the conveyor 14 or otherwise.
Course particulates unable to pass through screen 30 are conveyed from a dump end 32 of the screen to a chute end 34. The material conveyor 14 is disposed near the lower chute end 34 of the screen 30. A chute 36 is disposed at the chute end 34 of the screen 30. The chute 36 angles down from the chute end 34 to the material conveyer 14 (
The screen 30 may be modified to increase or decrease the working time of the material deposited thereon. For example, increasing the slope from dump end 32 to chute end 34 decreases working time for material, which increases the processing capacity of the screen 30 but results in wetter material in the material conveyer 14. Conversely, a “flatter” screen 30 results in more working time, which may decrease available throughput but improve separation, resulting in drier particulates in the conveyer 14. Solids removed by the conveyer 14 are usually considered dry enough for typical disposal in a landfill or on a surface of the ground.
A platform 38 is disposed between the dumping stations 16 to allow servicing of the screens 30, vibrators 31, and processing tank 12 components. The platform 38 is accessible via the catwalk 19 (
With reference now to
With reference to
The pump 42 displaces fluid that settles at the bottom of the tank 12 and forces it into a conduit 44. Fluid in the conduit 44 may be suitable for reuse, or may be further processed.
As shown in
With reference to
As shown in
With reference now to
The reclaimer 62 (or plurality of reclaimers), as shown in greater detail in
With reference again to
Adjacent to the mud tank 66 is a fresh water tank 68. Both the mud tank 66 and the fresh water tank 68 are connected to a pumping station 70 which can be used to re-fill the now empty auxiliary tanks 17 on a truck 21 or trailer 22 (
Alternatively, a centrifuge (not shown) may aid in cleaning fluid in the mud tank 34. Changes may be made to this system without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the entire system 10 may be computer controlled to automate fluid flow and leveling from tank to tank. A speed of the conveyer 14 and level of the screen 30 may be modified to increase or decrease working time for material.
With reference to
The particulate-rich flowpath 104 is conveyed away from the processing tank 12 by a conveyor 14 at 106. The particulates in the particulate-rich flowpath may be disposed of or re-used as fill at 108.
The fluid-rich material is pumped at 110 to the auxiliary cleaner 60 by the pump 42. Further cleaning of the fluid-rich material occurs in the auxiliary cleaner 60 at 105, separating the fluid-rich stream 105 into a drilling fluid stream 113 and a small particulate-rich stream 114. As described with reference to
The drilling fluid stream 113 terminates at the mud tank 66, where it is stored for re-use at 116. The small particulate stream 114 may be reintroduced within the auxiliary cleaner 60 or disposed at 118, either with the particulate-rich stream 104 or otherwise.
The scope of the claims should not be limited by the preferred embodiments set forth in the examples, but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with the description as a whole.
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Entry |
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thunder-products.com, “Thunder Prescreen A Wyo-Ben Product”, article, undated, 3 pages, Ponder, TX. |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20210016209 A1 | Jan 2021 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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62367267 | Jul 2016 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 15661289 | Jul 2017 | US |
Child | 17061516 | US |