Patent ID: 9138668
Filing Date: 2015-09-22
Classification: B01D,C02F,E21B

Abstract:
1. A method of separating a mixture of liquid and insoluble solids in a filter press, said method comprising: providing said mixture, said mixture being recycled drilling mud with drill cuttings removed; diluting said mixture; adding a flocculating agent to the diluted mixture and stirring to form a chemically processed mixture; pumping said chemically processed mixture into a chamber between two filter plates in said filter press for separating said chemically processed mixture into a filter cake and a filtrate, wherein, during said pumping said filter cake is formed in said chamber, said chamber being lined by filter cloths, and wherein, during said pumping, a first portion of said filtrate is forced through said filter cloths and out of said chamber; heating said filter cake in said chamber to form a dried filter cake, wherein, during said heating, a second portion of said filtrate is forced through said filter cloths and out of said chamber; and releasing said dried filter cake from said chamber; wherein said filter press comprises a multiplicity of said filter plates and a multiplicity of said chambers, wherein said heating is by radio frequency irradiation of said filter cake in said multiplicity of chambers, and wherein said radio frequency irradiation is applied by a system including at least one pair of parallel opposed electrode plates configured with the planes of said at least one pair of parallel opposed electrode plates roughly orthogonal to the planes of each of said multiplicity of filter plates, with each of said parallel opposed electrode plates for each of said at least one pairs being on opposite sides of, external to, and in close proximity to said multiplicity of filter plates.