Continuous multi-component slurrying process at oil or gas well

• US 5,522,459 A
• Filed: 06/03/1993
• Issued: 06/04/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Halliburton Company
• Original Assignee: Halliburton Company
• Inventors: Ritter, David W., Padgett, Paul O., Crain, Stephen F., Logan, Jerry L., Handke, Wayne A., Edgley, Kevin D., Stegemoeller, Calvin L., Covington, Ricky L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pal; Asok
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yildirim; Bekir L.
• Application Number:
  US08/074,051
• Time in Patent Office: 1,097 Days
• Field of Search: 166/285,293,295 507/700
• US Class Current: 166/285
• CPC Class Codes: B28C 9/004 Making slurries, e.g. with discharging means for injecting in a well or projecting against a wall

Abstract

A continuous multi-component slurrying process at an oil or gas well comprises flowing at least three separate streams of different essential materials directly into a predetermined mixing unit at the oil or gas well, wherein each of the essential materials is required to obtain a predetermined defining characteristic of the slurry.

Claims

1. A process for continuously mixing a settable mud at an oil or gas well, comprising:

(a) flowing a dilution fluid directly into a mixing unit at the oil or gas well;

(b) concurrently with said step (a) but in a separate stream from the dilution fluid, flowing a drilling fluid directly into the mixing unit;

(c) concurrently with said steps (a) and (b) but in a separate stream from the dilution fluid and the drilling fluid, flowing a cementitious substance directly into the mixing unit; and

(d) mixing the dilution fluid, the drilling fluid and the cementitious substance in the mixing unit.

2. A process as defined in claim 1, wherein:

said process further comprises before said steps (a), (b), (c) and (d);

flowing a fluid medium into the mixing unit;

flowing a viscosity control agent into the mixing unit;

flowing a density control agent into the mixing unit;

mixing the fluid medium, the viscosity control agent and the density control agent in the mixing unit into a drilling fluid to be pumped into the well;

pumping the drilling fluid of the preceding step into the well; and

returning at least a portion of the pumped drilling fluid from the well and flowing the returned portion into a storage facility; and

said step (b) includes using at least a portion of the drilling fluid from the storage facility.

3. A process as defined in claim 2, wherein using at least a portion of the drilling fluid from the storage facility includes using at least a portion of the drilling fluid without substantially increasing the volume of the portion.