Patent ID: 8662163
Filing Date: 2014-03-04
Classification: E21B

Abstract:
1. An oil and natural gas drilling or production rig with a clog free waste removal system for removing waste or drilling cuttings from a wellbore at a rate equivalent to or greater than a generation rate of waste or drilling cuttings proportional to a rate of penetration, wherein the rig comprises: a. an offshore drilling derrick with a deck; b. a crown block on the derrick; c. a drawworks with cable for communicating with sheaves on the crown block to a traveling block; d. a top drive attached to the traveling block; e. a tubular attached to the top drive; f. a drill bit secured to the tubular opposite the top drive for drilling a wellbore; g. a blowout preventer connected between the drill bit and the top drive; h. a mud pump connected to a mud reservoir for flowing drilling mud to the top drive, through the tubular to the drill bit, then back up the wellbore to a solids removal system for separating drill cuttings and waste from the drilling mud; i. a rig power generation plant connected to the mud pump, drawworks, and top drive; j. a first incoming transportation system mounted to the deck for receiving the separated drill cuttings, waste, or combinations thereof, from the solids removal system wherein the incoming transportation system comprises a dense phase conveyance system, a vacuum conveyance system, a dilute conveyance system, or an auger, or combinations thereof; k. a rig buffer storage disposed on the deck of the drilling or production rig comprising: l. a first outgoing transportation device mounted to the deck, in communication with the rig buffer storage; comprising a dense phase conveyance system, a vacuum conveyance system, a dilute conveyance system, an auger, or combinations thereof, for communicating cut waste or drill cuttings from the tank; m. a post treatment device mounted to the deck or a deck of another drilling rig, production rig or floating vessel, or a moveable, relocatable skip positioned on the deck, for receiving the cut waste or drill cuttings from the first outgoing transportation device; wherein the post treatment device is selected from the group: