Treatments for drill cuttings

• US 6,602,181 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2001
• Issued: 08/05/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Baker Hughes Incorporated (Baker Hughes Company)
• Original Assignee: Baker Hughes Incorporated (Baker Hughes Company)
• Inventors: Limia, Jose, Quintero, Lirio
• Primary Examiner(s): Metzmaier, Daniel S.
• Application Number:
  US09/836,699
• Publication Number:
  US 20020013447A1
• Time in Patent Office: 841 Days
• Field of Search: 588/250, 588/252, 588/255, 588/259, 134/40, 210/925, 175/66, 516/58, 516/110
• US Class Current: 588/250
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 21/06 Arrangements for treating drilling fluids outside the borehole
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 21/066 with further treatment of the solids, e.g. for disposal
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 21/068 using chemical treatment
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 210/925 using chemical agent

Abstract

The invention provides a method for treating drill cuttings, preferably marine cuttings, preferably in situ, so that the cuttings can be discharged into the environment, preferably back into marine waters without causing oxygen depletion of marine sediment. In a preferred embodiment, the treatment emulsifies and then encapsulates free hydrocarbons in the marine cuttings.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing cuttings produced during drilling of a marine wellbore, said cuttings comprising free hydrocarbons; and

,

treating said cuttings at said marine wellbore with a composition effective to disperse said free hydrocarbons, producing dispersed free hydrocarbons, said treating also changing wettability of said cuttings from oil wettable to water wettable;

encapsulating said dispersed free hydrocarbons with an encapsualting material, thereby producing a converted cutting mixture comprising isolated hydrocarbons effective to disperse upon discharge into marine waters; and

,

discharging into said marine waters said converted cutting mixture comprising said isolated hydrocarbons.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said composition comprises an emulsifying solution comprising a blend of non-ionic emulsifier and anionic emulsifier at a ratio of about 50/50 to about 95/5.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said composition comprises an emulsifying solution comprising a blend of non-ionic emulsifier and anionic emulsifier at a ratio of about 70/30 to about 95/5.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said encapsulating material comprises a polymerizable unsaturated carbon-carbon bond.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said free hydrocarbons comprise droplets having a diameter of about 10 microns or less.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said encapsulating material is a silicate.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said hydrocarbons comprise droplets of about 10 microns or less in diameter.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein said composition comprises an emulsifying solution comprising a blend of non-ionic emulsifier and anionic emulsifier at a ratio of about 50/50 to about 95/5.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein said composition comprises an emulsifying solution comprising a blend of non-ionic emulsifier and anionic emulsifier at a ratio of about 70/30 to about 95/5.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein said free hydrocarbons comprise droplets having a diameter of about 3 microns to about 20 microns.

11. The composition of claim 1 wherein said treating comprises emulsifying said free hydrocarbons.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said composition comprises an emulsifying solution comprising a blend of non-ionic emulsifier and anionic emulsifier at a ratio of about 50/50 to about 95/5.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein said composition comprises an emulsifying solution comprising a blend of non-ionic emulsifier and anionic emulsifier at a ratio of about 70/30 to about 95/5.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein said encapsulating material comprises a polymerizable unsaturated carbon-carbon bond.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein said free hydrocarbons comprise droplets having a diameter of about 3 microns to about 20 microns.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein said free hydrocarbons comprise droplets having a diameter of about 10 microns or less.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein said encapsulating material is a silicate.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said hydrocarbons comprise droplets of about 10 microns or less in diameter.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein said composition comprises an emulsifying solution comprising a blend of non-ionic emulsifier and anionic emulsifier at a ratio of about 50/50 to about 95/5.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein said composition comprises an emulsifying solution comprising a blend of non-ionic emulsifier and anionic emulsifier at a ratio of about 70/30 to about 95/5.

21. The method of claim 17 wherein said free hydrocarbons comprise droplets having a diameter of about 3 microns to about 20 microns.

22. A method comprising:

providing cuttings produced during drilling of a marine wellbore, said cuttings comprising free hydrocarbons; and

,

treating said cuttings with a composition effective to emulsify said free hydrocarbons and to produce emulsified droplets comprising said free hydrocarbons said treating also changing wettability of said cuttings from oil wettable to water wettable;

encapsulating said emulsified droplets with an encapsulating material, thereby producing a converted cutting mixture comprising isolated hydrocarbons effective to disperse upon discharge into marine waters; and

discharging into said marine waters said converted cutting mixture comprising said isolated hydrocarbons.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein said composition comprises an emulsifying solution comprising a blend of non-ionic emulsifier and anionic emulsifier at a ratio of about 50/50 to about 95/5.

24. The method of claim 22 wherein said composition comprises an emulsifying solution comprising a blend of non-ionic emulsifier and anionic emulsifier at a ratio of about 70/30 to about 95/5.

25. The method of claim 22 wherein said encapsulating material comprises a polymerizable unsaturated carbon-carbon bond.

26. The method of claim 22 wherein said encapsulating material is a silicate.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein said droplets are about 3 microns to about 20 microns in diameter.

28. The method of claim 26 wherein said droplets are about 10 microns or less in diameter.

29. The method of claim 26 wherein said composition is an emulsifying solution comprising emulsifiers and said emulsifiers are selected from the group consisting of non-ionic emulsifiers and a combination of non-ionic emulsifiers with anionic emulsifiers.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein said anionic emulsifiers are selected from the group consisting of alkane sulfates and alkane sulfonates comprising about 8 to about 18 carbon atoms;

and, said non-ionic emulsifiers comprise polyoxyethylene alcohols.

31. The method of claim 26 wherein said composition comprises an emulsifying solution comprising a blend of non-ionic emulsifier and anionic emulsifier at a ratio of about 50/50 to about 95/5.

32. The method of claim 26 wherein said composition comprises an emulsifying solution comprising a blend of non-ionic emulsifier and anionic emulsifier at a ratio of about 70/30 to about 95/5.

33. The method of claim 22 wherein said droplets are about 3 microns to about 20 microns in diameter.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein said composition is an emulsifying solution comprising emulsifiers and said emulsifiers are selected from the group consisting of non-ionic emulsifiers and a combination of non-ionic emulsifiers with anionic emulsifiers.

35. The method of claim 34 wherein said anionic emulsifiers are selected from the group consisting of alkane sulfates and alkane sulfonates comprising about 8 to about 18 carbon atoms;

and, said non-ionic emulsifiers comprise polyoxyethylene alcohols.

36. The method of claim 22 wherein said droplets are about 10 microns or less in diameter.

37. The method of claim 36 wherein said composition is an emulsifying solution comprising emulsifiers and said emulsifiers are selected from the group consisting of non-ionic emulsifiers and a combination of non-ionic emulsifiers with anionic emulsifiers.

38. The method of claim 37 wherein said anionic emulsifiers are selected from the group consisting of alkane sulfates and alkane sulfonates comprising about 8 to about 18 carbon atoms;

and, said non-ionic emulsifiers comprise polyoxyethylene alcohols.

39. The method of claim 22 wherein said composition is an emulsifying solution comprising emulsifiers and said emulsifiers are selected from the group consisting of non-ionic emulsifiers and a combination of non-ionic emulsifiers with anionic emulsifiers.

40. The method of claim 39 wherein said anionic emulsifiers are selected from the group consisting of alkane sulfates and alkane sulfonates comprising about 8 to about 18 carbon atoms;

and, said non-ionic emulsifiers comprise polyoxyethylene alcohols.