Patent ID: 7837849

Claim:
An apparatus for removing particulate solids from a continuous oil based drilling or completion fluid stream, comprising: a charged electrically conductive pipe having a pipe wall with an inner surface; a plurality of annular insulating bushes spaced apart and seated within the pipe wall along the inner surface of the conductive pipe; a plurality of oppositely charged annular electrodes seated within the bushes, wherein the bushes insulate the annular electrodes from the conductive pipe and the inner surface of the conductive pipe, the bushes, and the annular electrodes are flush; a pair of exit pipes bifurcated from the conductive pipe, wherein the exit pipes are alternately in fluid communication with the conductive pipe and wherein, when in fluid communication with the conductive pipe, one exit pipe exudes a drilling or completion fluid with less fine particles than entered the conductive pipe and the other exit pipe collects a deposit of particulate solids from the conductive pipe and leads to a collection vessel; and a controller operable to reverse the opposing charges of the conductive pipe and the annular electrodes such that collected particulate solids are released from the annular electrodes.