Patent ID: 11970917
Assignee: ELAVO ENERGY SOLUTIONS LTD.
Field: Chemical engineering (Chemistry)
Classification: CPC E  B | IPC B  E

Claim 14:
15. A processor for removing drilling fluid from wet drill cuttings, the processor comprising:
a processing chamber, the processing chamber having a cuttings inlet through which the wet drill cuttings are received into the processing chamber, an evaporated drilling fluids outlet, a dry drilling solids outlet, a process gas inlet configured to receive process gas, a fixed stage comprising a fixed bed in fluid communication with the process gas inlet and configured to receive the process gas therefrom, an agitator stage upstream of and in fluid communication with the fixed bed and configured to receive the process gas therefrom, the agitator stage operatively connected to the cuttings inlet and having a mixing device configured to agitate the wet drill cuttings received therefrom,
wherein the processor is configured to:
provide the process gas to the fixed bed and the agitator stage, thereby heating the fixed bed and agitator stage so as to heat and agitate the wet drill cuttings so that at least a portion of drilling fluid is evaporated therefrom and at least some dry solid drill cuttings remain,
provide evaporated drilling fluid to the evaporated drilling fluids outlet for recovery therefrom, and
provide dry solid drill cuttings to the dry solids outlet for recovery therefrom;

wherein the processor operates at a pressure above atmospheric pressure; and
wherein in providing the process gas to the fixed bed and the agitator stage the process gas is provided to the processing chamber to contact and directly heat the wet drill cuttings by convection.