IP Library › Granted Patent US 7,438,142
Granted Patent B2
US 7,438,142 · App. 11/387,442 · Granted Oct 21, 2008

Recovery system

Assignee: M-I LLC
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,438,142
App. No.
11/387,442
Granted
Oct 21, 2008
Kind
B2
Abstract

A process for the recovery of industrial carbon material from a mixture. The mixture may include drilling fluids, drilled solids, and industrial carbon from a mud system. The process may include: separating at least a portion of the drilled solids from the mixture to form a first effluent and a drilled solids fraction; separating at least a portion of the industrial carbon from the first effluent to form a second effluent and a recovered industrial carbon fraction; and recycling at least a portion of the recovered industrial carbon to the mud system.

Claims (32)

1. A process for the recovery of industrial carbon material from a mixture of materials, wherein the mixture comprises drilling fluids, drilled solids, and industrial carbon from a mud system, the process comprising:

separating at least a portion of the drilled solids from the mixture to form a first effluent and a drilled solids fraction;

separating at least a portion of the industrial carbon from the first effluent to form a second effluent and a recovered industrial carbon fraction;

separating at least a portion of the recovered industrial carbon fraction to form at least one fraction of enhanced industrial carbon content; and

recycling at least a portion of the recovered industrial carbon to the mud system.

2. The process of claim 1 , comprising diluting the first effluent with an internal olefin.

3. The process of claim 1 , wherein the mixture further comprises weighting materials, the process further comprising separating at least a portion of the weighting materials from the second effluent to form a weighting material fraction and a third effluent.

4. The process of claim 3 , comprising recycling at least a portion of the weighting material fraction to the mud system.

5. The process of claim 3 , comprising recycling at least a portion of the third effluent to the mud system.

6. The process of claim 1 , wherein the industrial carbon fraction comprises at least 60 weight percent industrial carbon.

7. The process of claim 1 , wherein the separating at least a portion of the drilled solids is performed in an apparatus selected from the group consisting of screen separators, hydrocyclones, desilters, desanders, mud cleaners, mud conditioners, dryers, drying shakers, centrifuges, hydrocyclone shakers, and combinations thereof.

8. The process of claim 1 , wherein the separating at least a portion of the industrial carbon is performed in an apparatus selected from the group consisting of screen separators, hydrocyclones, desilters, desanders, mud cleaners, mud conditioners, dryers, drying shakers, centrifuges, hydrocyclone shakers, and combinations thereof.

9. The process of claim 1 , wherein the separating at least a portion of the recovered industrial carbon fraction to form at least one fraction of enhanced industrial carbon content comprises processing the industrial carbon fraction in a centrifuge.

10. A process for the recovery of industrial carbon from a mixture of materials, wherein the mixture comprises drilling fluids, drilled solids, and industrial carbon from a mud system, the process comprising

separating a first portion of the drilled solids from the mixture to form a first effluent and a drilled solids fraction;

separating a second portion of the drilled solids from the first effluent to form a second effluent and a second drilled solids fraction;

separating at least a portion of the industrial carbon from the second effluent to form a third effluent and a recovered industrial carbon fraction;

separating at least a portion of the recovered industrial carbon fraction to form at least one fraction of enhanced industrial carbon content; and

recycling at least a portion of the recovered industrial carbon to the active mud system.

11. The process of claim 10 , comprising diluting the second effluent with an internal olefin.

12. The process of claim 10 , wherein the mixture further comprises weighting materials, the process further comprising separating at least a portion of the weighting materials from the third effluent to form a weighting material fraction and a fourth effluent.

13. The process of claim 12 , comprising recycling at least a portion of the weighting material fraction to the active mud system.

14. The process of claim 10 , wherein the industrial carbon fraction comprises at least 60 weight percent industrial carbon.

15. The process of claim 14 , wherein the industrial carbon fraction comprises at least 80 weight percent industrial carbon.

16. The process of claim 15 , wherein the industrial carbon fraction comprises at least 90 weight percent industrial carbon.

17. The process of claim 10 , wherein the separating a second portion of drilled solids is performed in an apparatus selected from screen separators, hydrocyclone, desilter, desander, mud cleaner, mud conditioner, dryer, drying shaker, centrifuge, hydrocyclone shaker, and combinations thereof.

18. The process of claim 10 , wherein the separating at least a portion of the industrial carbon is performed in an apparatus selected from screen separators, hydrocyclone, desilter, desander, mud cleaner, mud conditioner, dryer, drying shaker, centrifuge, hydrocyclone shaker, and combinations thereof.

19. The process of claim 10 , wherein the first drilled solids fraction comprises particles having an average particle size of 2000 microns or greater.

20. The process of claim 10 , wherein the second drilled solids fraction comprises particles having an average particle size of 1000 microns or greater.

21. The process of claim 10 , wherein the industrial carbon fraction comprises particles having an average particle size in the range of 75 to 1000 microns.

22. The process of claim 10 , wherein the mixture comprises from 0.1 to 15 pounds industrial carbon per barrel, and wherein 50 weight percent or more of the industrial carbon in the mixture is recovered in the industrial carbon fraction.

23. The process of claim 10 , wherein the separating at least a portion of the recovered industrial carbon fraction to form at least one fraction of enhanced industrial carbon content comprises processing the industrial carbon fraction in a centrifuge.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 3, 2006
From: BUTLER, FRANK; BROWNING, TIM
To: M-I L.L.C.
Reel/Frame 018049/0342 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20070221410A1 · Sep 27, 2007