EA015298B1 - Rig storage system - Google Patents

Abstract

A system for storing cuttings including a drilling rig having a deck and at least two support structures, and at least one cuttings storage vessel disposed in at least one of the at least two support structures is disclosed. A method of storing cuttings on a drilling rig including transferring materials from a deck of the drilling rig to a pressurized vessel dispose din a support structure of the drilling rig is also disclosed.

Description

Embodiments of the invention disclosed herein generally relate to containers used to store and transport materials on a rig. More specifically, embodiments of the invention disclosed herein relate to the use of a storage container for cuttings and / or its transportation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A drill bit is used to drill many thousand feet deep into the earth's crust. Drilling rigs typically use rigs towering above a drilling platform or deck. During the drilling operation, the derrick serves as a support for the aggregate of drill pipes connected to each other by their ends. As the drill bit moves deeper into the ground, additional pipe links are added to it to further lengthen the string or drill string. Therefore, the drill string usually contains many pipe links.

The drilling fluid is pumped from the drilling platform through the drill string towards the bit, which supports the lower or far end of the drill string. The drilling fluid lubricates the bit and carries out the cuttings formed during the penetration of the bit deep. Drilled rock is carried out by the reverse flow of drilling fluid to the drilling platform on the surface through the annular space of the well. Drilling mud brought to the platform is contaminated with small pieces of clay and rock, which are known in the art as cuttings or drill cuttings. After the cuttings, drill cuttings and other wastes reach the platform, the drilling fluid is separated from the cuttings, usually using a vibrating screen, after which the solution can be reused. The remaining cuttings, waste, and residual drilling fluid are then transported to a bucket or disposal tank. Drilled rock on a drilling platform is usually stored in large tanks or containers. These tanks can be large and take up a lot of space on the rig. In some situations, for example when using special types of drilling fluid, it is not reused, and it must also be disposed of. Typically, non-reused drilling fluid is disposed of separately from cuttings and other waste by transporting drilling fluid to a disposal site using a container.

Disposal of cuttings and drilling fluid is a complex environmental challenge. Drilled rock may contain not only residual drilling fluid that can pollute the environment, but also oil and other wastes that are extremely harmful to the environment, especially when drilling at sea.

In the Gulf of Mexico, for example, there are hundreds of drilling platforms drilling offshore oil and gas. These drilling platforms can be used in places where the depth reaches hundreds of feet. In the marine environment, water is filled with living marine organisms, so the disposal of cuttings and other waste into the sea is unacceptable. Therefore, there is a need to develop a simple but effective solution to the problem of disposing of cuttings, drilling mud and / or other waste on the continental shelf and in other vulnerable environments.

Traditional disposal methods include discharging into the environment, transporting with buckets, bulky conveyor belts, screw conveyors and flushing methods that require large amounts of water. Adding water creates additional problems, such as additional volume, mass, and transportation. Installation of conveyors requires a significant transformation of the rig area, high cost and installation time.

Another disposal method involves pumping cuttings, drilling mud, and / or other waste back into the subterranean formation under high pressure. Typically, the injection process involves preparing a slurry in ground equipment and injecting the slurry into a well that extends quite deep underground to the receiving layer or corresponding formation. The material to be pumped back into the formation can be prepared in the form of a suspension suitable for high pressure pumps used to pump the material into the well. The production process of the suspension is complicated by the fact that the particles of the material to be injected into the reservoir are different in shape and density. If the density of the slurry is not acceptable, it often clogs the circulation pumps. Abrasive particles of the material can abrade or damage the impellers of the pumps, causing their destruction. Some centrifugal pumps can be used to grind particles during pumping by intentionally creating pump cavitation.

The main steps in the injection process include identifying the layer or formation to be injected; preparation of a well for injection; development of the formulation of the suspension, involving the inclusion of factors such as weight, solids content, pH, gels, etc .; the implementation of the injection operation, which includes the determination and monitoring of pump performance indicators, such as the volume and pressure injected per unit time; and well capture.

In some cases, cuttings still contaminated with a certain amount of oil are transported from the rig to the offshore rig or ashore in the form of dense

- 1 015298 loy paste for pumping it into an underground layer. Typically, the material is transported in special skips with a capacity of about 10 tons, which are loaded with a crane from the rig to supply vessels. This is a complex and dangerous operation that can be time consuming and expensive.

In US patent No. 6179071 it is shown that the cuttings can be stored in a settling tank or in several tanks, on a drilling rig. The settling tank is then connected by a discharge line to a supply vessel. After that, the cuttings can be fed to the vessel via the discharge line.

US Pat. No. 6,709,216 and related analogue patents disclose that cuttings can also be transported and stored in a closed transportable container, which can then be transported to a destination where the cuttings can be removed from the container. The transported storage tank has one or more lower conical sections to achieve a predetermined mass flow rate of material in the tank, and the recovery of cuttings may include the impact of compressed gas on cuttings in the storage tanks. The transported containers are designed so that they fit into a 20-foot frame for Ι8 ем containers (1i1et1yuya1 Ogdash hubs 1 from 81apbagTs / ayup / International Organization for Standardization). These conical containers will be referred to herein as Ι8Ο containers. The contents of this patent are fully incorporated into this description by reference.

As described in US Pat. No. 6,709,216 and related equivalent patents, Ι8Ο containers can be lifted onto a drilling rig by a drilling rig crane and used to store cuttings. These containers can be used to transport cuttings to the supply vessel. Storage tanks can also be used as intermediate storage, for the time of the absence of the supply vessel. Alternatively, storage containers can be lowered from the rig by cranes and transported on a supply vessel.

Space on offshore platforms is limited. In addition to storing and transporting drill cuttings, many additional operations are performed at the drilling rig, including cleaning the reservoir, obtaining a suspension, drilling, chemical treatment operations, storing material, preparing drilling mud, reusing drilling mud, separating drilling mud, etc.

Usually, due to the limited space on the drilling rig, the equipment for performing these operations is performed on a modular basis and when the modules are not needed or when space is needed for the equipment, the modules are unloaded from the rig. For example, drilled tanks can be unloaded from a rig in order to make room for modular equipment used to clean the tank. Modularized equipment for tank cleaning operations may include a water reuse unit in an automatic tank cleaning system described in US Patent Application Publication No. 20050205477, the rights of which are assigned to the applicant in this application, the contents of which are fully incorporated into this description by links.

In other drilling operations, drill storage tanks can be unloaded from the rig to make room for environmental protection and / or reuse of the drilling fluid. Such systems may include multiple mixing, flocculating and storage tanks for treating industrial wastewater generated during drilling or delivery. Examples of methods and systems for protecting the environment and / or the reuse of fluids are disclosed in US Pat. Nos. 6,881,349 and 6,976,048, the rights of which are transferred to the applicant in this application, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Slurry systems that can be moved to a rig are typically large, fully self-contained modules that receive cuttings from a fluid / mud system. For example, PCT Publication No. AO 99/04134 discloses a process module comprising a first slurry tank, grinding pumps, a vibrating screen, a second slurry tank, and an optional settling tank. The module can be lifted to the offshore platform by crane.

The aforementioned lifting operations required to replace system modules can be complex, dangerous, and expensive. In addition, many modular-type equipment kits are self-contained and include additional equipment such as pumps, valves and tanks or storage tanks.

There is a need for more efficient use of platform space and its equipment. In addition, there is a need to minimize the number of lifts or their heights when loading equipment on the rig or unloading from it. Accordingly, there continues to be a need to create systems and methods for efficient storage and transportation of materials, including free-flowing materials and free-flowing materials.

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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the invention, embodiments disclosed herein relate to a cuttings storage system including a drilling rig having a platform, at least two load-bearing structures, and at least one cuttings storage vessel located at least in one of at least two supporting structures.

According to another aspect of the invention, embodiments disclosed herein relate to a drill storage system including a drilling rig having a platform, at least two load-bearing structures, and at least one pressure vessel located in at least one at least two supporting structures, with at least one pressure vessel configured to store material.

According to a further aspect of the invention, embodiments disclosed herein relate to a method for storing cuttings in a drilling rig, according to which materials are transported from the drilling rig platform to a pressure vessel located in the supporting structure of the drilling rig.

According to another aspect of the invention, its embodiments disclosed herein relate to a method of preparing a drilling rig for storing drill cuttings, according to which at least one container for storing cuttings is located in at least one supporting structure of the drilling rig.

Other aspects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the appended claims.

Brief Description of the Drawings

In FIG. 1A is a front view of a drilling rig according to embodiments of the invention disclosed herein;

in FIG. 1B is a sectional view of a supporting structure of a drilling rig according to embodiments of the invention disclosed herein;

in FIG. 1C is an isometric view of a storage container according to embodiments of the invention disclosed herein;

in FIG. 1Ό is an isometric view of a portion of a storage container according to embodiments of the invention disclosed herein;

in FIG. 2 is a plan view of a system for transporting material from an offshore drilling rig according to an embodiment of the present invention;

in FIG. 3 is a side view of a system illustrating the use of cuttings storage tanks in a drill storage / transportation system and in a modular system fluidly connected to drill storage tanks according to an embodiment of the present invention;

in FIG. 4 is a suspension system according to embodiments of the present invention;

in FIG. 5 shows a grinding device according to embodiments of the present invention;

in FIG. 6 is a suspension system according to embodiments of the present invention;

in FIG. 7 is a suspension system according to embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the invention, embodiments disclosed herein relate to systems and methods for storing and transporting freely non-current materials, including cuttings and free-flowing materials. Drilling sites can be both land and sea, as well as drilling rigs, drilling platforms, drilling ships, drilling barges, etc. According to other aspects of the invention, embodiments thereof relate to the use of pressurized containers for storage and transportation combined with equipment for producing slurry from cuttings, treatment of cuttings (mechanical and thermal drying), tank cleaning, and fluid processing systems.

In FIG. 1A shows a drilling rig 1000 according to embodiments of the invention disclosed herein. In particular, the drilling rig 1000 includes a system 1002 for storing and transporting freely non-current materials and / or free-flowing materials. In this description, the term “non-flowing materials” is understood to mean materials that are difficult to exit the tank, for example, cuttings, powders and dry materials. In this description, the term “free flowing materials” means materials that freely flow out of a container, for example, proppants, chemicals, and liquids. In some embodiments, a mixture of freely non-flowing materials and free-flowing materials, such as a slurry, may be stored in rig 1002 of rig 1000.

- 3 015298

As shown in FIG. 1A, a system 1002 for storing and transporting freely non-flowing materials and / or free-flowing materials according to embodiments of the invention disclosed herein includes at least one storage tank 1004 located in at least one drilling support structure 1006 rig 1000. Drilling rig 1000 may be offshore and have a platform 1005, supported by at least two supporting structures 1006 or legs. At least one supporting structure 1006 is connected to a floating device 1008, such as a pontoon. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that any number of load-bearing structures 1006 or floating devices 1008 can be used without departing from the scope of the invention disclosed herein. For example, in one embodiment of the invention, the drilling rig 1000 may include three or four load-bearing structures supported by one or more floating devices 1008.

In one embodiment, at least one storage tank 1004 may be integrated or installed in at least one supporting structure 1006 during the manufacture or construction of at least one supporting structure 1006. Alternatively, the supporting structure 1006 of a drilling rig 1000 may be modified to including in its composition at least one storage tank 1004. For example, in one embodiment, a cavity may be cut in at least one supporting structure 1006 using any method known in the art. At least one storage container 1004 may be secured to the supporting structure 1006, and a section cut from the supporting structure 1006 may be hermetically sealed and welded to the supporting structure 1006. In one embodiment, the at least one storage container 1004 may be stationary attached to at least one supporting structure 1006. When used in this description, fixed fastening refers to a substantially permanent joint, for example, to form a single unit or a welded joint . In other embodiments, the at least one storage container 1004 may be detachably secured in at least one supporting structure 1006. For example, the storage container 1004 may be bolted, locked, or screwed into place in at least one supporting structure 1006.

In one embodiment, at least one storage container 1004 may be located in at least one supporting structure 1006 above sea level. According to some embodiments of the invention, at least one storage tank 1004 may be located in at least one supporting structure 1006 at substantially sea level. Typically, a rig platform 1005 may be located 65-100 feet (20-30 m) above sea level. Thus, in some embodiments, at least one storage container 1004 may be located in at least one supporting structure 1006 at an altitude of less than 15 feet (5 m) above sea level. In another embodiment, at least one storage tank 1004 may be located in at least one supporting structure 1006 at an altitude of less than 30 feet (9 m) above sea level. In yet another embodiment, the at least one storage container 1004 may be located in at least one supporting structure 1006 at an altitude of less than 50 feet (15 m) above sea level. It should be clear to those skilled in the art that the location of at least one storage tank 1004 above sea level may vary, for example, depending on the particular drilling rig 1000 used, the drilling equipment used, or production restrictions, without going beyond the scope of embodiments of the invention disclosed in this description.

As described above, in some embodiments of the invention, only one supporting structure 1006 may comprise at least one storage container 1004 with internally stored material. In addition, in some embodiments of the invention, more than one supporting structure 1006 may comprise at least one storage container 1004, but only one or less than all storage containers 1004 may contain material. In such embodiments of the invention, the stored material may add additional weight to a given side or area of the rig 1000. However, as is known in the art, at least one supporting structure 1006 may be filled with fluid to balance or ballast any weight imbalances, arising from the distribution of stored material in storage containers 1004 located in at least one supporting structure 1006. In addition, the location of the storage containers 1004 Essentially at sea level, as discussed above, can also help stabilize and / or reduce the effect of the weight of any unbalanced material on rig 1000.

As shown in FIG. 1B, in one embodiment of the invention, a plurality of storage containers 1004a in at least one supporting structure 1006a may be arranged in a circle. In such an embodiment of the invention, the staircase, pipeline or other equipment can be located in the space 1010 formed in the center of the circle. Thus, a plurality of storage containers 1004a can be located in at least one supporting structure 1006a in a manner that is most convenient for the construction, modification, and use of the supporting structure

- 4 015298 structure 1006a. For example, a plurality of storage containers 1004a located in at least one supporting structure 1006a may be grouped toward the center of the supporting structure in a circle against each other, and storage containers 1004a may be stacked on top of each other. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the arrangement of the plurality of storage containers 1004a can be changed without departing from the scope of the embodiments disclosed herein.

As shown in FIG. 1C, in some embodiments of the invention, at least one storage container 1004 has an angled lower section 1012 configured to achieve a predetermined mass flow rate of material in the storage container 1004. In one embodiment, the corner bottom section 1012 includes one taper angle. These conical containers can be called containers of standard Ι8Θ. An example of an Ι8Ο standard capacity is 180-rishr®, commercially available from M-Ι, Lc (Houston, TX). In alternative embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1Ό, the angled lower section 1012 of the at least one storage tank 1004 has a plurality of tilted structures 1014 forming, for example, a honeycomb structure as disclosed in PCT Publication AO 2007/034215 A1, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

As summarized in FIG. 1A, in one embodiment of the invention, material stored in at least one storage container 1004 located in at least one supporting structure 1006 can be transported or transported to a site outside the work site. In this embodiment, at least one discharge line 1016 may be operatively coupled to an output (not shown) of the storage tank 1004. The distal end 1020 of the discharge line 1016 may be operatively connected to a vehicle (not shown) located on a vehicle (not shown), for example, a supply vessel or a barge. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1B, material stored in a first storage container 1001a located in at least one supporting structure 1006a may be piped 1003 to a second storage container 1001b located in the same supporting structure 1006a.

In order to facilitate transport of material from the storage container 1004 to the transport container or between storage containers 1004 (1001a, 1001b), in one embodiment of the invention, at least one storage container 1004 may be pressurized. In such an embodiment of the invention, non-flowing materials, such as cuttings, can be stored freely in a pressure vessel 1004. In this embodiment, a pneumatic conveying device (not shown) may be connected to at least one storage container 1004. A pneumatic conveying device may include, for example, a drill cutter (not shown) and pneumatic conveying piping (not shown) similar to those disclosed in US Pat. Nos. 6698989, 6702539 and 6709206, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. However, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that other methods of transporting cuttings to storage vessel 1004 may use augers, conveyors, vacuum suction devices, and air injection systems.

As shown in FIG. 1A, in one embodiment of the invention, at least one storage vessel 1004 located in at least one supporting structure 1006 of a rig 1000 can store cuttings. In this embodiment, a pneumatic conveying device (not shown) may be operatively associated with at least one storage container. For example, an air blower in a cuttings (not shown) may be located on a platform 1005 of a drilling rig 1000 and is configured to pump air into a cuttings, for example, from a separation device (not shown) located on a platform 1005 in at least one tank 1004 for storage located in at least one supporting structure 1006. Thus, by placing storage tanks 1004 in at least one supporting structure 1006 of drilling rig 1000, more spaces can be freed for other equipment and / or operations in the 1005 platform.

Drilled rock stored in storage tanks 1004 in at least one supporting structure 1006 can be transferred from storage tank 1004 to a site outside the work area. One or more discharge lines 1016 can be connected to one or more storage tanks 1004 to facilitate delivery of cuttings from storage tank 1004 to a transport vessel (not shown). In this embodiment, the storage vessel 1004 may be pressurized and / or operatively associated with a pneumatic conveying device to move cuttings through the outlet of the storage vessel 1004. In one embodiment, cuttings can be transported from at least one storage tank 1004 to a transport tank (not shown) located on a vehicle (not shown). In another embodiment, cuttings can be moved from the first storage tank (1001a in FIG. 1B) to the second tank

- 5 015298 (1001B in Fig. 1B) through the pipeline (1003 in Fig. 1B).

In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, two separate streams of material can be moved simultaneously (at least partially during one time interval) to a vehicle, for example, a supply vessel 5. In this embodiment, the first supply line 20 can transport the first material from at least a first storage tank 21 located in at least one support structure 1006 of a drilling rig (not shown) to a supply vessel 5, and the second supply line 22 can transporting the second material from at least a second storage vessel 23 located in at least one supporting structure 1006 of a rig (not shown) to a supply vessel 5. The first and second materials can also be transported to the cuttings storage unit 25 located on the supply vessel 5. Alternatively, the first and second materials may be moved to separate storage containers; for example, the first and / or second material can be moved to a storage tank (not shown) located on the platform or under the platform of the supply vessel 5.

In one embodiment, the first material may include dry cuttings, while the second material may include a fluid. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the fluid may include a liquid, suspension, or gel material. In addition, it should be clear to a person skilled in the art that dry cuttings can include cuttings processed by a separation or purification system, for example, by mechanical and / or heat treatment, such as in Tyegshoshesyashsa1 SiNshdk C1eapeg (TCC) devices, commercially available T11cgt1se11 (Bergen, Norway) and ΥΕΚΤΙ-Ο ™ bgueg, commercially available M-Ι ЬЬС (Houston, Texas). Essentially, the cuttings may include small amounts of residual fluids, hydrocarbons and / or various chemical additives used during the cleaning process. Pumps (not shown) may be associated with storage containers 21, 23 to facilitate transport of material, including, for example, dry cuttings, fluid, or slurry, to a supply vessel 5 after a separation or cleaning operation in a drilling rig. Alternatively, the pneumatic conveying system 26 may be associated with storage containers 21, 23 for transporting to a supply vessel 5 a material including, for example, dry cuttings, fluids, and suspensions. In one embodiment of the invention, the pneumatic conveying system 26 may include a pneumatic conveying system with a pressurized flow regime, as shown in US Pat. Nos. 6698989, 6702539 and 6709216. Providing simultaneous transportation of individual material streams (eg, cuttings, fluids ) can reduce the time it takes to transport material between the rig and a vehicle such as a supply vessel 5.

In one embodiment, the cuttings storage unit 25 may include at least one dry cuttings storage container 27. In this case, the first and second material can be transported into one container 27 for storing cuttings of the cuttings storage unit 25. In another embodiment of the invention, the first and second material can be transported in separate containers 27 for storing cuttings in the drill storage unit 25. In one embodiment of the invention, the cuttings storage vessel 27 located on the supply vessel 5 can be used in the slurry production system, as described below with reference to the drillings storage containers located on the drilling rig. In this embodiment, a module (not shown) may be operatively connected to a cuttings storage unit 25 for incorporating existing cuttings storage containers 27 into the slurry production system.

Unlike prior art methods in the embodiments disclosed herein, storage containers are used in two or more operations performed on a drilling rig. According to one aspect of the invention, embodiments disclosed herein relate to the operation of a tank in at least two operations performed on a drilling rig. According to some aspects of the invention, embodiments disclosed herein relate to the use of a container in both storage / transportation operations of cuttings and other operations. More specifically, embodiments of the invention disclosed herein relate to the use of a container as a container for storing / transporting cuttings and as a component in a slurry production system similar to the system shown in US patent application currently under consideration No. 60 / 887442, the contents of which are fully incorporated into this description by reference.

The use of storage containers and container assemblies in each of these additional systems will be described below. Also, modules that can integrate capacity data and capacity nodes in more than one additional system will be considered. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the containers described in the embodiments disclosed herein can also be used in reuse systems similar to those disclosed in the current application No. 60/887444, tank cleaning systems similar to those

- 6 015298 covered in the application currently under review No. 60/887509, suspension flow-through systems similar to those disclosed in the current application No. 60/887449, cuttings processing systems similar to those disclosed in the application currently under consideration No. 60/887514, the contents of which are fully incorporated into this description by reference.

As also shown in FIG. 1A, storage containers 1004 located in at least one support structure 1006 of a rig 1000 can be used in other systems / operations typically performed on platform 1005. For example, storage containers 1004 can be used in slurry production systems, as described in detail below. In this embodiment, cuttings present in at least one storage tank 1004 may be mixed with fluid supplied through a fluid supply line (not shown) associated with the fluid with at least one storage tank 1004.

In FIG. 3 shows a drilling rig 40 including a system module 42 according to embodiments of the present invention. The system module can be placed anywhere on the drilling rig 40, and in some embodiments, it is located in close proximity to at least one storage tank 43 for storing cuttings or a container assembly located in at least one supporting structure 41, which can be fluidly connected to the system module 42 by connecting lines 44. Tanks 43 for storing cuttings can be disconnected with a flexible hose 47 to a second set of tanks 45, Proposition 46 on the ship supply. System module 42 may include a suspension system module.

During operation, cuttings can be transported in containers 43 for storing cuttings using one or more pneumatic conveying devices 48 located on a rig 40. Drills can be stored in containers 43 for storing cuttings until they are transferred to a vessel 46 supplies for future disposal.

The cuttings transportation systems and slurry production systems described above are typically independent systems that can be permanently placed on the drilling platform 40 or can be moved to the drilling platform 40 from the supply vessel 46 when necessary. However, in the embodiments disclosed herein, the system module 42 may be located on the drilling platform 40 in the immediate vicinity of the drilled rock storage tanks 43, and transport lines 44 may connect the drilled rock storage tanks 43 to provide them work with tanks, pumps, grinding pumps, chemical addition devices, cleaning equipment, water supply tanks, filter systems and other components that can be used in other their operations performed at the wellsite, including preparing a slurry of cuttings. Such complex systems may include the use of existing structures of one functional purpose (for example, tanks 43 for storing cuttings) in several operations (for example, systems for producing slurry and storage / transportation of cuttings). Thus, when tanks 43 are not used for storage or transportation of cuttings, they can be used as reservoirs in the suspension production system.

The integration of cuttings storage tanks in a slurry production system is described herein with reference to cuttings storage tanks (containers) located in at least one supporting structure of a drilling rig. In this embodiment, the modules can be located on the job site in the immediate vicinity of the cuttings storage tank and functionally associated with the cuttings storage tank, thereby transforming the cuttings storage tank into a component of the slurry production system.

As described above, previous fluid slurry production systems required the conversion of valuable space in a rig to store independent reservoirs for fluid recovery and process equipment. However, embodiments of the invention disclosed herein allow the use of existing structural elements (i.e., storage tanks for cuttings) in several operations. The modules according to the embodiments of the invention disclosed herein are relatively small compared to previous systems, thereby saving valuable drilling space and eliminating the need for costly and dangerous lifting operations.

In FIG. 4, a slurry production system 300 is shown including a reservoir 302 for storing cuttings. The slurry production system 300 includes a module 352, or a drive unit configured to operatively communicate with a drill storage vessel 302 located in at least one supporting structure (not shown) of a drilling rig (not shown), and a feed line 378 fluid medium. Module 352 may include a pallet unit, a support frame, a casing, or a mobile platform configured to accommodate selected

- 7 015298 components of the suspension system, as described in detail below.

In this embodiment, the system 300 includes an independent power supply 360 for providing power to the components of module 352. The power supply 360 is electrically connected, for example, to a chopper 354 and / or programmable logic controller (PLC) 361. Those skilled in the art should it will be appreciated that such an energy source may provide primary or backup energy to provide the components of module 352 with it. In other embodiments, the source The IR 360 power supply can only be an electrical circuit for connecting an electrical cable 362 of a power source on a drilling rig (not shown) with module 352.

Module 352 includes an input clutch 370 configured to connect to an output 372 of a first cuttings storage vessel and an output clutch 374 configured to connect to an input 376 of a first cuttings storage vessel 302. The inlet clutch 370 may be connected to the outlet 372, and the outlet clutch 374 may be connected to the inlet 376 by fluid transport lines, for example, flexible hoses and / or a new or existing piping system. The module 352 further includes a grinding device 354 configured to transport fluid from the first drill cutter 302 through the module 352 and back to the first drill cutter 302. The grinding device 354 is configured to reduce the particle size of the solid cuttings passing through it.

In one embodiment of the invention, the grinding device 354 may include a grinding pump. The grinding pump may, for example, be a centrifugal pump, as shown in US patent No. 5129469, the contents of which are incorporated into this description by reference. As shown in FIG. 5, a centrifugal pump 458 configured to grind and reduce the size of the cuttings may have a generally cylindrical body 480, within which a vane wheel space 482 is formed. The centrifugal pump 458 may include a vane wheel 484 with backward curved blades, with open faces on both sides, that is, the blades or vanes 485 are bent back relative to the direction of rotation of the vane wheel and are not provided with opposing side plates forming a closed channel between the fluid inlet area 487 medium on the impeller and the tops of the blades. The housing 480 has a tangential output channel 488 formed by a housing portion 490. The concentric housing of the centrifugal pump 458 and the arrangement of the blades 485 of the impeller provide a shearing action that reduces the particle size of the cuttings. The blades 485 of the impeller 484 can be coated with a material, such as tungsten carbide, to reduce the wear of the blades 485. It should be clear to those skilled in the art that any prior art grinding pump to reduce the size of particulate matter in a suspension can be used without going beyond options the implementation of the invention disclosed in this description.

As shown in FIG. 6 of an alternative embodiment of the invention, the grinding device 554 may include a pump 556 and a crusher 557, for example a ball mill. In this embodiment, the cuttings can be injected into the grinder 557, in which the size of the solid particles is reduced. Pump 556 can then pump the slurry back into the first drill cutter 502. In one embodiment of the invention, the pump may include a grinding pump, as disclosed above, as a second crusher for further grinding the solid particles exiting the crusher 557.

As shown in FIG. 4, in one embodiment of the invention, the slurry production system 300 includes a second cuttings storage vessel 390 located in a supporting structure (not shown) of a drilling platform (not shown). The second cuttings storage tank 390 may be configured to feed the cuttings into the first cuttings storage vessel 302. In one embodiment, a prior art pump (not shown) can be used to transport cuttings. In another embodiment of the invention, the pneumatic conveying device disclosed above (not shown) can be used to transport cuttings to a first cuttings storage vessel 302. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that any method of transporting cuttings to the first drill storage vessel 302 can be used without departing from the embodiments disclosed herein.

In one embodiment of the invention, module 352 may further include a pneumatic system control device (not shown) for controlling the flow of air injected into the container 302 for storing cuttings by a pneumatic conveying device (not shown). In such an embodiment of the invention, an air pipe (not shown) from an air compressor (not shown) can be connected to a pneumatic system control device (not shown) in a module 352 for controlling the air flow pumped into the first cuttings storage tank 302.

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In another embodiment of the invention, the cuttings can be fed into a first container 302 for storing cuttings from a sorting shale shaker (not shown) or other separation or cleaning system for cuttings located on the drilling rig. Additionally, several containers for storing cuttings located in the supporting structure of the drilling rig can be connected to the first tank 302 for storing cuttings and feed cuttings from them. In one embodiment of the invention, each vessel for storing cuttings can be configured to feed cuttings of a given size, for example, coarse or fine-grained cuttings. The cuttings of the selected size can then be delivered to the first container 302 for storing the cuttings to form a suspension of a given density. It will be clear to those skilled in the art that cuttings can be transported to first container 302 for storing cuttings by any means known in the art, for example using the pump or pneumatic conveying device described above.

During operation of the slurry production system 300, the fluid supply pipe 378 may be configured to supply fluid to the first drill storage vessel 302. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the fluid supply line 378 may supply water, seawater, brine, chemical additives, or other fluids for preparing a suspension of drill cuttings known in the art. When the fluid is pumped into the first drill cutter 302, the cuttings from the second drill cutter 390 or other elements of the drill cutter separation system described above can be transported to the first drill cutter 302.

When the first drill cutter storage container 302 is filled with fluid and cuttings, the drill cuttings and fluid mixture is transported to the module 352 through the inlet sleeve 370 of the module 352. In one embodiment of the invention, the mixture can be transported by a pneumatic conveying device, a vacuum system, a pump, or other known in the prior art tool. In one embodiment of the invention, the pneumatic conveying device may include a pneumatic conveying system with a pressure mode for moving fluid. A mixture of fluid and cuttings is pumped through a grinding device 354, in which the particle size of the cuttings is reduced. The mixture or slurry is then pumped back into the first container 302 for storing the cuttings through the outlet sleeve 374. The suspension can be circulated back through the module 352 one or as many times as necessary to prepare the suspension with a given density or concentration of cuttings, as required by the particular application or back-injection formation.

As shown in FIG. 7, in one embodiment, the module 652 further includes a valve 694 located downstream of the grinding device 654, and the valve 694 is configured to redirect the flow of slurry exiting the grinding device 654. In one embodiment, the programmable logic controller (PLC) 661 may be operatively coupled to module 652 and configured to open and close valve 694 to redirect the flow of slurry. In one embodiment of the invention, a programmable logic controller (PLC) 695 can monitor the movement of valve 694 after a predetermined time for transporting fluid through module 652 has elapsed. In another embodiment, a sensor (not shown) may be operatively connected to valve 694 so that when it reaches a given state of the suspension, open or close the valve. For example, in one embodiment of the invention, a density sensor (not shown) may be coupled to a valve 694 such that when the density of the slurry exiting the grinder reaches a predetermined value, the valve 694 moves, i.e. closes or opens, and redirects the flow of the slurry from the first tank 302 for storing cuttings in another tank for storing cuttings, a reservoir for the suspension, skip or pump for injection into the reservoir.

In another embodiment, a conductivity sensor (not shown) may be coupled to a valve 694 such that when the density of the slurry exiting the grinding device reaches a predetermined value, the valve 694 moves and redirects the flow of the slurry from the first drill storage vessel 302 to another drill storage tank, slurry tank, skip or pump for injection into the formation. It will be clear to those skilled in the art that other devices and methods may be used to redirect the flow when a predetermined concentration of cuttings in the suspension is achieved, the density or conductivity of the suspension is achieved. Often a suspension with a drill cutout concentration of up to 20% is used for re-injection into the formation. However, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that direct injection of a slurry using embodiments of the invention as described herein can provide an increased concentration of drill cuttings in slurry.

The suspension prepared by the suspension preparation system, as described above, can be transported to another container for storing cuttings, a suspension tank, skip or straining

- 9 015298 can be pumped into the reservoir; it can be transported off-site to another site. In one embodiment of the invention, the storage device can be lowered from the rig by a crane and transported to a ship. Alternatively, the suspension can be transported through a hose, tubing or other pipe from a storage vessel located in at least one support of the drilling rig to a suspension vessel located on the vessel.

In one embodiment of the invention, the suspension can be transported from one site to another for re-injection. For example, the suspension can be transported from one offshore drilling platform to another offshore drilling platform. In addition, the suspension can be transported from the offshore drilling platform to the onshore site. Additionally, the suspension can be transported from the onshore site to the offshore site.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that components of systems 300, 500, and 600 can be interchanged, interconnected, and assembled in other ways into a system to form a suspension. Essentially, to fulfill certain requirements of a drilling operation, in particular re-injection of cuttings, the components of the systems and modules disclosed herein may provide for an interchangeable and adaptable suspension production system at the drilling site.

Preferably, the embodiments disclosed herein may provide a material storage and transportation system that reduces the amount of space required for it on a rig. According to one aspect of the invention, embodiments disclosed herein may provide a method for transporting stored material to another site. According to another aspect of the invention, embodiments disclosed herein may provide a storage and transportation system for cuttings that reduces the amount of space required for it on a drilling rig.

Additionally, embodiments of the invention disclosed herein may preferably provide a slurry production system that reduces the amount of work space required at a work site for a slurry production system. According to another aspect of the invention, embodiments disclosed herein may advantageously provide a slurry production system that reduces the amount of equipment or the number of components required to produce a slurry for re-injection into the formation. On the third hand, embodiments of the invention disclosed herein can provide a safer slurry production system by reducing the number of crane lifting operations during system installation.

Advantageously, the embodiments disclosed herein may also provide systems and methods for more efficiently storing and transporting non-current materials and free-flowing materials at a drilling rig. Since space on the offshore platform is often limited and crane operations for transporting heavy tanks or containers are often expensive and dangerous, embodiments of the present invention can reduce the cost of drilling operations by reducing the number of crane operations.

Although the invention has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments of the invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art who benefit from the invention that other embodiments of the invention disclosed herein may be devised without departing from the scope of the claimed invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be limited only by the attached claims.

Claims (20)

CLAIM 1. The storage system of drill cuttings, containing a drilling rig, having a platform and at least two supporting structures; and at least one reservoir for storing cuttings, located in at least one of the at least two supporting structures. 2. The system according to claim 1, in which the reservoir for storing cuttings contains a reservoir under pressure. 3. The system of claim 2, further comprising a pneumatic conveying device operatively connected to at least one reservoir for storing cuttings. 4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a fluid supply line in fluid communication with at least one reservoir for storing cuttings. 5. The system of claim 1, wherein a plurality of reservoirs for storing cuttings located in at least one of the two supporting structures is arranged circumferentially. 6. The system according to claim 1, additionally containing a discharge line, functionally connected to the output of at least one tank for storing cuttings and made with the possible - 10,015,298 by ensuring the possibility of transporting the drill cuttings from the storage tank of the drill cuttings to the site outside the working area. 7. The system according to claim 6, in which the platform outside the working area contains a vehicle. 8. The system according to claim 1, in which at least one tank for storing cuttings is located above sea level. 9. The system according to claim 1, in which at least one tank for storing cuttings is located essentially at sea level. 10. The system according to claim 1, in which at least one tank for storing cuttings contains an angular lower section. 11. The system of claim 10, in which the angular lower section of at least one reservoir for storing cuttings contains many angular structures. 12. The storage system of drill cuttings containing a drilling rig having a platform and at least two supporting structures; and at least one pressure vessel located in at least one of the at least two supporting structures, wherein the at least one pressure vessel is adapted to store the material. 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the material is selected from the group consisting of free non-current material, free current material, and combinations thereof. 14. The system of claim 13, in which the free flowing material does not contain drilled rock. 15. The system of claim 12, further comprising a pneumatic conveying device operatively connected to at least one pressurized container. 16. The method of storage of drill cuttings on the drilling rig, in which materials are transported from the platform of the drilling rig to a pressure vessel located in the supporting structure of the drilling rig. 17. The method according to claim 16, wherein during transportation, a pneumatic conveying device is actuated to create a flow of materials from the pneumatic conveying device to the pressure vessel. 18. The method of preparation of the drilling rig for the storage of drill cuttings, which have at least one tank for storing the drill cuttings in at least one supporting structure of the drilling rig. 19. The method according to p, in which additionally cut out the opening in at least one of the supporting structures of the drilling rig for installation in it capacity for storing cuttings. 20. The method according to claim 19, in which the remote section is additionally closed with at least one supporting structure for hermetically closing the storage tank for cutting the cuttings in at least one supporting structure.