Continuous extruded solids discharge

• Main Authors: Barry Hoffman, Rajesh C Kapila
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 09.03.2022
• Subjects: EARTH DRILLING; EARTH DRILLING, e.g. DEEP DRILLING; FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS; MINING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR ASLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS

A device for processing oil or gas well waste solids, the device including a pressurizing discharge unit having a casing. The casing includes a solids inlet and a water inlet. The solids inlet receives treated solids into a front end of the casing, where the treated solids are exposed to a reduced pressure in an internal chamber of the casing of less than atmospheric pressure. The water inlet receives water and adds the water to the treated solids in the internal chamber. The casing includes an extruder screw unit, the extruder screw unit having progressive screw sections located inside the internal chamber and corresponding to conveying mixing and pressurizing screw sections. The conveying screw section conveys the treated solids along a long axis length of the extruder screw unit from the solids inlet towards a discharge end of the casing while the reduced pressure is maintained, the mixing screw section mixes the treated solids and the water together to form a paste, and the pressurizing screw section conveys the paste towards the discharge end and generates, in a portion of the casing downstream from the mixing screw section, a backpressure that is greater than atmospheric pressure. The casing includes a die assembly to extrude the paste through an orifice of the die assembly located at the discharge end while maintaining the backpressure on the paste in the internal chamber. Method and system embodiments for processing oil or gas well waste solids are also disclosed.