Patent ID: 6695077
Filing Date: 2004-02-24
Classification: B09B,B09C,E21B

Abstract:
A process for treating drill cuttings contaminated with at least one hydrocarbon, comprising the steps of:(a) providing hydrocarbon-contaminated drill cuttings with a first particle size distribution having a first median diameter; (b) mixing the hydrocarbon-contaminated drill cuttings with an agglomerant to produce a pre-treatment mixture; (c) establishing a pre-treatment total liquid content in the pre-treatment mixture in a range from about 5 wt. % to about 20 wt. %, based on the total weight of the pre-treatment mixture; (d) agitating and heating the pre-treatment mixture at a temperature sufficient to vaporize substantially all of the hydrocarbon while agglomerating vapor entrainable particles of the drill cuttings to form agglomerates; and (e) recovering treated drill cuttings with a second particle size distribution having a second median diameter greater than the first median diameter, the treated drill cuttings having a residual hydrocarbon content of less than or equal to about 3 wt. %, based on the total weight of the treated drill cuttings.