U.S. patent application number 11/868620 was filed with the patent office on 2008-04-17 for cuttings impoundment.
This patent application is currently assigned to M-I LLC. Invention is credited to Gary E. Fout.
Application Number | 20080087472 11/868620 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39302143 |
Filed Date | 2008-04-17 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080087472 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Fout; Gary E. |
April 17, 2008 |
CUTTINGS IMPOUNDMENT
Abstract
A method for disposing drill cuttings including transferring a
plurality of drill cuttings from a drilling location to a disposal
site. The drill cuttings being placed as a first layer onto a
drilling cuttings pad located at the disposal site, and impounded
onto the drill cuttings pad. Also, a method for disposing drill
cuttings including transferring a plurality of drill cuttings from
a drilling location to an onsite processing location. The plurality
of drill cuttings then being processed into construction materials
and used at the drilling location.
Inventors: |
Fout; Gary E.; (Cypress,
TX) |
Correspondence
Address: |
OSHA LIANG/MI
ONE HOUSTON CENTER, SUITE 2800
HOUSTON
TX
77010
US
|
Assignee: |
M-I LLC
Houston
TX
|
Family ID: |
39302143 |
Appl. No.: |
11/868620 |
Filed: |
October 8, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60829323 |
Oct 13, 2006 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
175/207 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B09B 1/00 20130101; E21B
41/005 20130101; B09B 3/0025 20130101; B09C 1/08 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
175/207 |
International
Class: |
E21B 21/01 20060101
E21B021/01 |
Claims
1. A method for disposing drill cuttings comprising: transferring a
plurality of drill cuttings from a drilling location to a disposal
site; placing the plurality of drill cuttings as a first layer onto
a drill cuttings pad located at the disposal site; and impounding
the plurality of drill cuttings on the drill cuttings pad.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising treating the plurality
of drill cuttings with a solidification reagent.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the solidification reagent is
selected from a group consisting of cement, kiln dust, fly-ash, and
paint.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising sealing the plurality
of drill cuttings.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the sealing comprises painting
the drill cuttings with a latex-based paint.
6. The method of claim 1, further comprising building a trench
around the drill cuttings pad.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first layer is substantially
pyramidal.
8. The method of claim 1, further comprising placing a second layer
of drill cuttings on top of the first layer of drill cuttings.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the disposal site comprises the
drilling location.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first layer is a base
layer.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the base layer comprises a clay
bed covered with caliche.
12. A method for disposing drill cuttings comprising: transferring
a plurality of drill cuttings from a drilling location to an onsite
processing location; processing the plurality of drill cuttings
into construction materials; and using the construction materials
at the drilling location.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the construction materials are
one of a group consisting of berms, location base, production pads,
and road base.
14. A method of disposing drill cuttings comprising: transferring a
plurality of drill cuttings from a drilling location to a disposal
site; impounding the plurality of drill cuttings into a monolith;
and placing the monolith on the surface of the disposal site.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the disposal site comprises the
drilling location.
16. The method of claim 14, wherein the monolith is generally
pyramidal.
17. A system for disposing drill cuttings comprising: a drill
cuttings dispersal device to transfer drill cuttings from a
cleaning site to a disposal site; and a drill cuttings pad located
at the disposal site; wherein the drill cuttings dispersal device
moves drill cuttings from the cleaning site to the disposal site;
wherein the drill cuttings are placed on the drill cuttings pad;
and wherein the drill cuttings are impounded on the surface of the
disposal site.
18. The system of claim 17, wherein the disposal site comprises a
drilling location.
19. The system of claim 17, wherein the drill cuttings dispersal
device is automated.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of the following
application under 35 U.S.C. 119(e); U.S. Provisional Application
Ser. No. 60/829,323 filed on Oct. 13, 2006, incorporated by
reference in its entirety herein.
FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure generally relates to systems and
methods for the handling and disposing of drill cuttings from
drilling operations. More particularly, the present disclosure
relates to systems and methods of impounding drill cuttings on the
surface of drilling sites.
BACKGROUND
[0003] In drilling operations for the exploration of oil and gas, a
liquid slurry known as drilling mud is used for maintenance and
lubrication of the borehole created during the drilling operation.
Typically, the drilling mud system of a well includes a mud holding
tank at the well surface located on or adjacent to the drilling rig
and a network of pumps, mixers, and mud supply lines. During
drilling operations, drilling mud is pumped from the mud holding
tank, through the mud supply lines, down through the well bore and
circulated at a desired rate, and is returned to the surface of the
well bore. The returned drilling mud carries with it drill cuttings
from the bottom of the borehole produced as drilling advances. When
the circulating drilling mud, along with the carried drill cuttings
is returned to the surface, it is delivered to a screening device
known as a shaker that serves as a sieve for removing the carried
drilling cuttings from the drilling mud. When the drill cuttings
have been removed from the drilling mud by the shaker, the drilling
mud is returned to the mud storage tank for reuse. The drill
cuttings separated from the drilling mud are collected and conveyed
to storage tanks for treating and disposal.
[0004] The storage and disposal of drill cuttings produced at a
drilling location may present a number of problems. The drill
cuttings removed from the borehole are typically comprised of
shale, sand, hard clays, or shell, and they are often coated with,
or contain, residual contaminants from the drilling mud of from the
borehole. The drill cuttings and their contaminants present
environmental concerns that must be addressed during their
disposal.
[0005] Transporting the drill cuttings from a rig site to a
disposal facility is also a concern because of the costs associated
with transporting the bulky, heavy cuttings boxes to and from the
well location. Additionally, drill cuttings typically contain oil,
petroleum distillates, and other environmentally unsuitable
contaminates and often must undergo some treatment to remove or
render inert any associated contaminates prior to their disposal.
Such treatment is time consuming and expensive because it is
typically conducted away from the rig location.
[0006] In some drilling operations, new waste management techniques
(e.g., closed loop dewatering) now allow onsite drill cutting
processing that may substantially decrease drill cutting volume. At
such drilling operations, it may be beneficial to dispose of the
drill cuttings onsite. Typically, onsite drill cutting disposal
consists of plowing (i.e., land-farming) cuttings into the land,
such that the cuttings stay on the land during storms. However,
such land-farming methods are only available if the cuttings are
found to be non-hazardous (e.g., contain less than 3000 mg/L of
chlorides and/or less than 1000 mg/L of oil) according to the laws
of the local governing agency.
[0007] Many localities have separate laws that regulate the
disposal of drilling cuttings if the drilling operation is located
on a wetland. Currently, many jurisdictions do not allow the
land-farming of drill cuttings on recognized wetlands. Instead, the
drill cuttings have to removed and properly disposed of outside the
drill site.
[0008] In still other jurisdictions, if drill cuttings are found to
be hazardous (i.e., contain greater than 3000 mg/L of chlorides
and/or greater than 1000 mg/L of oil) according to the laws of the
local governing agency, the drill cuttings may be buried onsite. In
such a drilling operation, pits may be created at the drilling site
and the drill cuttings buried therein. Buried drill cuttings are
buried so as to not cause the pollution of ground water or
sub-surface water bearing formations. To prevent contamination as a
result of the buried cuttings, the pits may have to be lined,
chemicals may have to be injected, and the pits may have to be
covered with earth or other substrate. In many drilling operations,
the burial of drill cuttings is time consuming, potentially
environmentally dangerous, and cost inefficient.
[0009] Accordingly, there exists a need for an environmentally safe
and cost efficient system and method for disposing of drill
cuttings from drilling operations.
SUMMARY
[0010] According to one aspect, embodiments disclosed herein relate
to a method for disposing drill cuttings including transferring a
plurality of drill cuttings from a drilling location to a disposal
site. The drill cuttings may be placed as a first layer onto a
drilling cuttings pad located at the disposal site, and impounded
onto the drill cuttings pad.
[0011] In another aspect, embodiments disclosed herein relate to a
method for disposing drill cuttings including transferring a
plurality of drill cuttings from a drilling location to an onsite
processing location. The plurality of drill cuttings may then be
processed into construction materials, and used at the drilling
location.
[0012] In another aspect, embodiments disclosed herein relate to a
system for disposing drill cuttings including a drill cuttings
dispersal device for moving drill cuttings from the cleaning site
to the disposal site and a drill cuttings pad located at the
disposal site. The drill cuttings dispersal device moves drill
cuttings from the cleaning site to the disposal site where the
drill cuttings are placed on the drill cuttings pad and impounded
on the surface of the disposal site.
[0013] Other aspects of the present disclosure will be apparent
from the following description and the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0014] FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a method of disposing of drill
cuttings in accordance with an embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[0015] FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a method of disposing of drill
cuttings in accordance with an alternate embodiment of the present
disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0016] Generally, embodiments disclosed herein relate to systems
and methods for the handling and disposing of drill cuttings. More
specifically, embodiments disclosed herein relate to systems and
methods for impounding drill cuttings on the surface of a drilling
location.
[0017] Typically, drilling fluids used in drilling operations
return from down hole as a slurry, which includes drill cuttings
and other suspended particulate matter. Initially, the used
drilling fluid may undergo any number of separation techniques
(e.g., centrifugation, screen, mud cleaners, and shaking) to remove
large drill cuttings from the fluid. While the aforementioned
methods may remove large drill cuttings, other solids and fine
particulate matter may remain suspended in the drilling fluid.
Recent advances in dewatering technology (i.e., coagulation and
flocculation) allows further removal of suspended solid
particulates from the drilling fluid. After such separation and
dewatering, the cleaned drilling fluid may be recirculated to a
drilling fluid storage tank for eventual reuse in the drilling
operation.
[0018] While the drilling fluid is reusable, the drill cuttings and
other solid particulate matter is generally not reusable. As such,
drill cuttings are often stored onsite for eventual removal from
the drill site. While storage methods vary, many drilling
operations use storage bins, surface storage, pit storage, or
bagged storage prior to removal from the drill site. During
storage, additional cleaning operations may be performed on the
drill cuttings to decrease the presence of hazardous drilling
waste. Such cleaning operations may include, for example,
mechanical and/or chemical treatment to decrease the presence of
environmentally damaging drilling byproducts such as chlorides and
oil.
[0019] After collecting and treating the drill cuttings a drilling
operator has to choose an appropriate technique for disposal of the
drill cuttings. In one embodiment, the drill cuttings may be
transferred from the drilling location (e.g., a drilling rig or
cleaning area) to a selected disposal site. The disposal site may
be selected based on any number of variables including, but not
limited to, proximity to the drilling location, likelihood of
stability, likelihood of groundwater contamination, or any other
variable that may effect the convenience, efficiency, or
environmental integrity as a result of the drill cuttings
disposal.
[0020] Preferably, the disposal site is located in close proximity
to the drilling location so as to minimize the distance that drill
cuttings have to be transported. In one embodiment, the disposal
site may be adjacent or in close proximity to the drilling
location. Thus, the drilling location may include the disposal
site. In such an embodiment, the drill cuttings may be transferred
to the disposal site by use of a drill cuttings dispersal device
(e.g., a bulldozer, dump truck, crane, or other mechanical device).
Because the distance between the drilling location and the disposal
site is minimal, costs normally associated with drill cuttings
transportation may be saved.
[0021] In alternate embodiments, the drill cuttings dispersal
device may be an automated dispersal apparatus. In such an
embodiment, a drilling operator may program the automated dispersal
device to take cuttings directly from the drilling location, and
spread them into a specified configuration onto the disposal site.
This method may be of particular benefit when the disposal site is
located in close proximity to the drilling location. Because the
processes may be automated, the amount of human labor typically
required to transfer the drill cuttings may be decreased, thereby
further decreasing the cost of drill cuttings transference. Such a
method of dispersing the cuttings may also be beneficial in
creating a uniform layer of drill cuttings across the disposal
site. In certain embodiments, a uniform pattern may increase the
amount of drill cuttings that may be stacked in a given location,
decrease the costs associated with stacking the drill cuttings,
and/or otherwise make the process of stacking the drill cuttings
more efficient.
[0022] In one embodiment prior to transferring the drill cuttings
to the disposal site, the disposal site may be prepared by creating
a base layer on which the drill cuttings will be placed. The base
layer may include a non-water permeable layer of clay along with a
coating of caliche to prevent the seepage of residual fluids from
the drill cuttings into the ground. To further prevent the seepage
of residual fluids, a drill cuttings pad may be placed on the
ground where the drill cuttings will be deposited. The drill
cuttings pad may be of any material capable of preventing residual
fluids from contaminating the ground where the drill cuttings are
deposited. One of ordinary skill in the art will realize that the
drill cuttings pad should be able to prevent the seepage of
residual fluids that may form when the drill cuttings are exposed
to environmental stimuli such as precipitation and/or temperature
fluctuation.
[0023] In addition to placing a drill cuttings pad on the ground to
prevent contamination due to seepage, in certain embodiments it may
be beneficial to construct a trench around the area where drill
cuttings are deposited. In such an embodiment, the trench may be
constructed around individual deposition sites, or around the
entire disposal site. In an embodiment including both a drill
cuttings pad and a trench, one of ordinary skill in the art will
realize that the drill cuttings pad may extend from under the
deposited drill cuttings over the trench. Because the drill
cuttings pad is impermeable to water and extends into the trench,
should contaminants leech from the drill cuttings the contaminants
may collect in the trench. In such an embodiment, the pools of
contaminated water may either be evacuated from the disposal site,
remediated onsite, or otherwise handled in accordance with the
local laws and regulations governing the drilling location.
[0024] After placing the drill cuttings on the drilling pad at the
disposal site, the drill cuttings may be impounded on the surface
of the disposal site. The process of impounding the drill cuttings
may include piling and/or stacking drill cuttings into piles such
that the weight of the drill cuttings cause the initial
impoundment. In alternate embodiments, the drill cuttings may be
pressed into the surface of the disposal site by mechanical means
(e.g., a bulldozer, crane, and/or other oilfield machinery). One of
ordinary skill in the art will realize that surface drill cuttings
impoundment may occur as a result of the weight of subsequent
depositions of drill cuttings pressing down on prior deposited
drill cuttings. In such an embodiment, environmental stimuli may
further enhance the surface impounding. For example, as rain
saturates the drill cuttings, the drill cuttings may further
compress into each other and the surface of the disposal site.
Thus, the environmental conditions such as rain and temperature
variation that hampered prior art disposal methods may actually
enhance the disposal technique of the present disclosure.
[0025] In alternate embodiments, once the drill cuttings have been
placed on the drill cuttings pad, the drill cuttings may be coated
with a paint. One of ordinary skill in the art will realize that
the paint used to coat the drill cuttings may be of any composition
that enhances the solidification of the drill cuttings. Such
solidification may include paint that increases weather resistance,
water impermeability, or the likelihood that the cuttings will stay
impounded. In one embodiment, a latex-based paint may be used to
coat the exterior of the drill cuttings thereby decreasing water
permeability and increasing the impounded drill cuttings resistance
to weather. In addition to increasing the stability of the drill
cuttings, paint may be chosen in aesthetically appropriate colors
to minimize the detracting effect of drill cuttings remaining on
the surface. For example, the color of the paint may include
natural tones (e.g., browns and greens) thereby simulating the
colors of nature.
[0026] In alternate embodiments, once the drill cuttings have been
placed in a first layer, a second layer may be placed on top of the
first layer. This embodiment may be appropriate when the first
layer has had time to settle out and is adequately impounded. By
placing drill cuttings in layers, the physical footprint of the
disposal site may be substantially decreased, while the integrity
of the impounded drill cuttings may be maintained. In certain
embodiments it may be beneficial to paint a first layer of
impounded drill cuttings, then place a second layer on top of the
painted first layer. Because the paint may further stabilize the
first layer, subsequent layers may benefit from the increased
stability of the first layer.
[0027] In still another embodiment of the present disclosure, the
drill cuttings may be treated with a solidification reagent. For
example, a solidification reagent (e.g., cement, kiln dust,
fly-ash, paint, silicon dust, blast furnace sludge, or any
substance that may increase bonding potential) may be added to the
drill cuttings to increase the bonding of the drill cuttings. The
solidification reagent may be mixed into the drill cuttings, or in
an alternate embodiment, may be applied to the exterior surface of
the drill cuttings to limit the movement of precipitation
therethrough.
[0028] While the above embodiments are described in relation to
systems and methods for disposing drill cuttings at a disposal
site, alternative embodiments of the present disclosure may allow
the drill cuttings to be used as construction materials. In such an
embodiment, the drill cuttings may be transferred to an onsite
processing location. At the processing location, the drill cuttings
may be impounded into construction materials (e.g., berms, location
bases, production pads, and/or road base). One of ordinary skill in
the art will realize that the processing location may also include
the drilling location. For example, in one embodiment, drill
cuttings may be taken from a collection area and placed on the
surface of another section of the drill site. The drill cuttings
may then be impounded on the surface to form a base of another
drilling rig. Alternatively, the drill cuttings may be impounded at
the drill site in the form of road beds, berms, or otherwise used
in the construction of drilling facilities.
[0029] In alternative embodiments, the drill cuttings may be
transferred to a processing location for eventual distribution of
the drill cuttings for use as road base at on off site location. In
this embodiment, the drill cuttings may be used as road base in the
construction of typical public and/or private roadways. Because the
drill cuttings will be sealed (e.g., with concrete, asphalt, and/or
tar) in the construction of the roads, the drill cuttings may be
used as road base without significant cleaning/dewatering.
[0030] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the drill
cuttings may be transferred from a drilling location to a disposal
site and them impounded into a monolith. The monolith may include
only drill cuttings, or a mixture of drill cuttings and
solidification reagent, as discussed above. In such an embodiment,
the monolith may be of any size such that movement of the monolith
by dispersal and/or other moving devices is possible. After
impoundment into a monolith, the drill cuttings may be placed on
the surface of the disposal site. In one embodiment, the monolith
may be placed on the surface of the drilling site in a manner to
provide benefit to the drilling location. One such benefit may be
placing the monolith to promote water runoff in a specified
direction. Other benefits may include, for example, placing a
plurality of monoliths as a roadbed, as a base layer for a new
drilling rig, or as construction materials, as described above. To
allow the greatest storage of monolithically impounded drill
cuttings, it may be beneficial to stack the monoliths in a
generally pyramidal shape. Such a shape may enhance water runoff,
impoundment, and provide increased storage potential.
[0031] While the above described embodiments relate to methods for
disposing of drill cuttings, one of ordinary skill in the art will
appreciate that a system for disposing drill cuttings using surface
impoundment is also within the scope of the present disclosure. In
one embodiment a system may include a drill cuttings dispersal
device to transfer drill cuttings from a cleaning (i.e., dewatering
site) to a disposal site. It may be desirable that the disposal
site is in close proximity to the cleaning site so as to decrease
the cost associated with moving the drill cuttings. The system may
also include a drill cuttings pad located on the surface of the
disposal site, such that the drill cuttings dispersal device may
move drill cuttings from the cleaning site to the drill cuttings
pad. Once on the drill cuttings pad, the drill cuttings may be
impounded by any means known to one of ordinary skill in the art,
including, but not limited to, compressing the drill cuttings with
heavy machinery, allowing water to impound the drill cuttings, or
placing additional drill cuttings and allowing the weight of the
drill cuttings to impound themselves.
[0032] Referring now to FIG. 1, a flowchart of a drill cuttings
disposal method in accordance with an embodiment of the present
disclosure, is shown. In this embodiment, a method 100 for
disposing of drill cuttings includes transferring drill cuttings
101 from a cleaning or storage site to a disposal site. Before,
during, or contemporaneous with building a base layer with the
drill cuttings 103, the drill cuttings may be treated with a
solidification reagent 102, as described above. Upon building the
base layer with the drill cuttings 103, the drill cuttings may be
impounded 104. After impoundment, the drilling cuttings may be
scaled 105.
[0033] One of ordinary skill in the art will realize that in
certain embodiments, it may be beneficial to allow some time to
pass between impounding the drill cuttings 104 and sealing the
drill cuttings 105. The time may allow the drill cuttings to
impound to a greater extent, removing aqueous substrate from the
drill cuttings, thereby providing a more stable base layer. In this
embodiment, after the base layer has been sealed 105, a second
layer of drill cuttings may be placed 106 on the base layer. After
some additional time, as is determined by a drilling operator
based, among other things, on the composition of the drill
cuttings, the second layer of drill cuttings may be sealed 107.
[0034] While method 100 illustrates disposing of drill cuttings by
creating as a sealed base layer and a second sealed layer, one of
ordinary skill in the art will realize that any number of sealed or
unsealed layers may be used in a given embodiment of the present
disclosure. For example, in certain embodiments, the base layer may
be surrounded by a trench, the base layer may constructed out of
caliche instead of drill cuttings, and/or the drill cuttings may be
placed in a generally pyramidal configuration.
[0035] Referring now to FIG. 2, a flowchart of a drill cuttings
disposal method in accordance with an embodiment of the present
disclosure, is shown. In this embodiment, a method 200 for
disposing of drill cuttings includes transferring drill cuttings
201 from a cleaning or storage site to s disposal site. The
creation and/or maintenance of the disposal site may include
building a trench 202 around the area where drill cuttings are to
be placed. Upon transference of the drill cuttings, the drill
cuttings may be treated with a solidification reagent 203, and then
placed on a drill cuttings pad as a first layer 204. Unlike the
method of system 100, system 200 includes placing a second layer of
drill cuttings 205 without first sealing the first layer. One of
ordinary skill in the art will realize that in certain embodiments
not sealing the first layer may promote better drill cuttings
impoundment, thereby increasing the storage potential of a given
disposal site.
[0036] After the deposition of drill cuttings as a second layer,
the drill cuttings may be impounded 206 in accordance with any
method described above. After impoundment, and waiting a specified
interval of time, as described above, the drill cuttings may be
painted 207 with a sealing reagent, such as a latex-based paint.
After the present disclosure, one of ordinary skill in the art will
realize that additional options may be available to a drilling
operator to further enhance the disposal of drill cuttings. In one
embodiment, method 200 may further include placing the layers of
drill cuttings in a generally pyramidal shape, building a base
layer, placing the drill cuttings as monoliths, or adding a
dispersal device to automatically place the drill cuttings in
appropriate layers.
[0037] In another embodiment of the present disclosure, drill
cuttings may be transferred from a drilling location to a disposal
site. The drill cuttings may be stacked on a prepared pad
constructed of compacted clay dirt and placed over a liner (e.g., a
plastic liner) to prevent the infiltration of drilling waste into
the surrounding ground. The perimeter of the pad may be lined with
a ditch to prevent residual drilling waste run-off. The drill
cuttings may then be stacked and/or mixed with a solidification
reagent, as described above, then turned to expose any liquid
drilling fluid remaining to the air, thereby promoting evaporation.
In some embodiments, dirt, lime, or other drying agents may be
added incrementally to promote the drying of the drill cuttings. As
residual drilling fluid evaporates, the drill cuttings may become
compacted, thereafter resembling a mound of dirt. The mound may
then be terraformed or otherwise modified as described above.
[0038] Advantageously, embodiments disclosed herein may allow for
greater efficiency in the disposal of drill cuttings. Because the
drill cuttings may be disposed on the surface of the
drilling/disposal site, the costly and time consuming step of
building a pit in which the drill cuttings may be buried may be
eliminated. Additionally, building trenches around disposal sites,
as well as placement of drill cuttings pads to help catch the
runoff of environmentally hazardous waste products may better
protect the ecology of a drilling operation. In certain
embodiments, treating surface impounded drill cuttings with a
sealing layer may further prevent the leaching of environmentally
hazardous chemicals into the soil and/or water reservoirs.
[0039] Unlike the inefficient and expensive processes of burying or
shipping drill cuttings currently used, embodiments of the present
disclosure may allow onsite disposal of drill cuttings. By
decreasing the distance traveled in the disposal of drill cuttings,
costs associated with fuel and manpower requirements are decreased.
Further, embodiments disclosed herein may allow the automation of
drill cuttings disposal. Such automation may further decrease the
costs associated with drill cuttings disposal.
[0040] Finally, certain embodiments may advantageously allow the
efficient reuse of drill cuttings as construction materials. Drill
cuttings processed into construction materials may be used in the
building of roads (on-site and off-site) and/or drilling rig bases.
By reusing drill cuttings as construction materials, the cost of
disposal is decreased, as well as the costs associated with
building and maintenance of the drilling location.
[0041] While the present disclosure has been described with respect
to a limited number of embodiments, those skilled in the art,
having benefit of the present disclosure will appreciate that other
embodiments may be devised which do not depart from the scope of
the disclosure described herein. Accordingly, the scope of the
disclosure should be limited only by the claims amended hereto.
* * * * *