Friction-based thermal desorption, with temperatures between 260 and 300°C, allows the oil and water phases to be volatilized and subsequently condensed and recovered, leaving dried and cleaned solids that can be disposed. Frictionbased thermal desorption reduces the residual oil on the cuttings while recovering oil and other materials for reuse. This paper presents the novel friction-based thermal desorption system currently deployed in the relatively hostile and remote Koshken area, located on the steppe escarpment above the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea, Kazakhstan. This project is expected to produce 50,000 tonnes of oil-based drilling fluid or "mud" (OBM) drill cuttings annually, which must be treated to below 1% TPH oil before disposal. Any treatment technology utilized in this environment faces operational and logistical challenges, including the severe climate and the need to transport the drill cuttings from an offshore facility to an onshore centralized location. Improvements in friction-based thermal desorption technology were developed specifically for the Koshkani project to ensure health, safety and environmental (HSE) compliance and allow a best-in-class system to operate in this harsh environment.In this paper, the authors describe the three-year development process, from initial design and equipment construction through installation, commissioning and operation. Analytical data presented includes analysis of discharged material, recovered base oil and air emission analysis. A comparison is made between the application of thermal desorption technology and alternative technologies used in similar projects.Friction-based thermal desorption met increasingly high performance expectations and technology advancements allowing them to be achieved with assured HSE performance. Given the environmental performance that the Kashagan project required, this technology has proven to be the simplest, easiest and most effective system to implement in this environment with assured success.
Oil base mud cuttings present a complex and costly waste management challenge. Indirect thermal desorption in conjunction with fluid recovery and reuse is widely recognized as the most promising means of achieving the zero discharge goal. Indirect thermal desorption offers a unique combination of compliance assurance and economic benefits. Thermal desorption technology, referred to as TPS, developed by SCCEnvironmental was selected by partners Arco Oriente Inc., Agip Oil Ecuador BVand Petroecuador to provide drilling waste management and fluid recovery for apioneering E&P project located on Block 10 in the eco-sensitive Villanofield of Ecuador. Introduction The development of Block 10, in the Villano Field of Ecuador by Arco, Agipand Petroecuador is a prototype for the development of oil rich properties located in eco-sensitive regions. The Block 10 site is located at the headwaters of the Amazon east of the Andean Escarpment, one of the most biologically diverse and isolated areas on the planet. The operators were required to conduct an extensive series of environmental impact evaluations and the knowledge gained laid the groundwork for operational approval. A successful drilling waste management program was faced with three major challenges. The first challenge involved the construction and supply of an active drilling site by helicopter only. The region had not previously not been opened up to development and road construction was determined to present too great of an impact to the sensitive environment. To further reduce the impact;strict limitations were placed upon the drilling and facilities site footprint. This precluded the construction of large storage pits or bioremediation pads. The small single pad required long reaching horizontal wells to efficiently drain the structure. In turn these challenging wells required a synthetic oilbased mud to be successfully drilled. Finally, an oil on cuttings criteria of>1% (by dry weight) was imposed. Accessibility, cost of transport/supply, limited footprint and stringent environmental criteria demanded an innovative approach to drilling waste management. The operators selected the SCC Environmental TPS technology which proved integral to the success of this project, both environmentally and economically. Treatment consistently achieved results of an oil on cuttings average of 0.023% coupled with leachable TPH (Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon)concentrations of 2.7 ppm. Removal efficiencies exceeded 99.9% producing are covered linear paraffin base oil with no significant thermal fractionation and >1.0% (by volume) Basic Sediment and Water (BS&W). In keeping with the low impact mandate of the operation, on-site experimentation was conducted related to solids reclamation through re-vegetation. This experimentation yielded data which will be developed into a methodology to optimizere-vegetation of the treated cuttings following demobilization.
Summary Oil-based drilling fluids can become contaminated with significant quantities of water as a result of low efficiency well-bore displacements to water or brine and from operations such as rig and pit cleaning. The presence of excess emulsifiers and oil-wet solids in typical oil-based drilling fluids allows large quantities of water to be emulsified. These oil-continuous emulsions are often termed slop muds. This paper presents a process for separating and recycling slop muds in a continuous process. Analytical data on the effects of water contamination on oil-based mud, the resultant slop-mud structure, the influence of shear, and quantification of the critical factors controlling phase-separation and chemical dose will be presented. In addition, treatment of the slop-mud on a continuous basis will be demonstrated both on the laboratory and full-scale defining the important process parameters, such as mixing energy, phase recovery rate, recovered drilling fluid properties, and treated water properties. Development of an understanding of the slop-mud stream enabled a novel continuous treatment system to be built that provides efficient and fast phase-separation with recovery of the valuable drilling fluid phase, with significant advantages over current batch-type systems. The process requires in-line injection and mixing of surfactant into the slop mud, then continuous separation of the waste into water and drilling fluid using a gravity separator. The drilling fluid remains as a water-in-oil emulsion containing solids and other chemical additives, which can be reconditioned to acceptable properties for reuse. The water recovery rates are typically 70 to 90 vol% of the total water present in the slop mud. This recovered water is treated using centrifugation, filtration or other water-treatment techniques to meet or exceed discharge consent limits of 15 mg/L total petroleum hydrocarbon. Water collected in the rig deck-drain system that may also be contaminated with oil or oil-based mud can also be treated in the same manner as the recovered slop water. Because the process allows continuous treatment of the slop-mud stream, the resultant equipment has significant benefits over the current batch-type systems, including higher throughput and decreased footprint.
fax 01-972-952-9435. AbstractOil-based drilling fluids can become contaminated with significant quantities of water as a result of low efficiency well bore displacements to water or brine and from operations such as rig and pit cleaning. The presence of excess emulsifiers and oil-wet solids in typical oil-based drilling fluids allows large quantities of water to be emulsified. These oil-continuous emulsions are often termed slop muds.This paper presents analytical data on the effects of water contamination on oil-based mud, the resultant slop-mud structure, the influence of shear, and quantification of the critical factors controlling phase-separation and chemical dose. Data will be presented showing the principles of continuous slop-mud treatment both on the laboratory and fullscale defining the important process parameters such as mixing energy, phase recovery rate, recovered drilling fluid properties, and treated water properties.Development of an understanding of the slop mud stream enabled a novel continuous treatment system to be built which provides efficient and fast phase-separation with recovery of the valuable drilling fluid phase, with significant advantages over current batch-type systems. The process requires in-line injection and mixing of surfactant into the slop mud, then continuous separation of the waste into water and drilling fluid using a gravity separator. The drilling fluid remains as a water-in-oil emulsion containing solids and other chemical additives, which can be reconditioned to acceptable properties for re-use. The water recovery rates are typically 70 to 90 vol% of the total water present in the slop mud. This recovered water is treated using centrifugation, filtration or other watertreatment techniques to meet or exceed discharge consent limits of 15 mg/L total petroleum hydrocarbon. Water collected in the rig deck-drain system which may also be contaminated with oil or oil-based mud can also be treated in the same manner as the recovered slop water.Because the process allows continuous treatment of the slop mud stream, the resultant equipment has significant benefits over the current batch-type systems including higher throughput and decreased footprint.
Tar sands are a combination of sand, clay, water and bitumen. In-situ techniques using steam and/or solvents are used to reduce the bitumen viscosity such that it can be recovered and refined into petroleum products. Steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) is an increasingly common technique which involves drilling two horizontal wells into the tar sand deposits. Steam and hot water are injected into the upper well to reduce the viscosity of the bitumen, which will drain into the lower well where it can be pumped to the surface. The waste generated from drilling these wells is extracted from the drilling fluid by shakers and includes sand contaminated with bitumen and drilling fluid. Treatment of this waste stream is challenging and typically these sands are stored at the rig site or transported for disposal at centralized sites. This paper presents novel technology for treatment of the tar sands drilling waste generated from SAGD and other tar sands drilling operations. The continuous treatment process is based on hot water addition, mixing and separation techniques to reduce the viscosity and specific gravity of the bitumen to separate it from the sand. Treatment of cuttings with light to heavy bitumen contamination and varying quantities of fine sand and clay particles has shown this treatment method to be a simple and effective means of producing clean sand and recovering the bitumen component. The energy used to heat the circulating water is recycled to minimize waste and maximize energy efficiency. The cleaned sand can be blended with natural soil and safely disposed in the environment. The recovered bitumen can be used as feedstock for further processing and refining.With the total recoverable tar sand reserves in Canada and Venezuela estimated at 300 billion barrels, the market demand for this technology is potentially immense. Effective treatment of the tar sands cuttings will convert the waste into a valuable revenue stream in an environmentally responsible manner.
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