Patent ID: 9561452
Date: 2017-02-07
CPC Classifications: B01D,C09K,E21B

Claim:
1. A process for treating hydrocarbon phase continuous drilling fluids, the process comprising: (a) providing an input hydrocarbon phase continuous drilling fluid having a continuous hydrocarbon phase, a discontinuous aqueous phase, and a discontinuous particulate solids phase, the input hydrocarbon phase continuous drilling fluid having an oil-to-water weight ratio, (b) providing at least one polymer solution, (c) providing at least one coagulant, wherein said polymer solution includes water or said coagulant is dissolved or suspended in an aqueous medium, (d) providing base oil, the base oil being provided in such quantity as to maintain the oil-to-water weight ratio of the input hydrocarbon phase continuous drilling fluid being treated, (e) mixing the input hydrocarbon phase continuous drilling fluid, the polymer solution, the coagulant, and the base oil to provide an input fluid, (f) providing the input fluid to a decanting centrifuge, (g) centrifuging the input fluid to separate particulate solids from the input fluid to provide a treated hydrocarbon phase continuous drilling fluid, wherein no step is taken to alter the wettability of the discontinuous particulate solids phase.