MX2012009848A

MX2012009848A - Cleaning apparatus and method for a material dryer.

Info

Publication number: MX2012009848A
Application number: MX2012009848A
Authority: MX
Inventors: Richard Guillory; Kyle David; Jake Garber; Aaron Doman; Michael Lagasca; Dwayne Kennerson; Chad Ardoin; Dustin Prejean
Original assignee: Mi Llc
Priority date: 2010-02-25
Filing date: 2011-02-24
Publication date: 2012-09-21
Also published as: BR112012021517A2; CA2789955A1; CA2789955C; WO2011106514A2; WO2011106514A3; EP2539658A4; BR112012021517B1; EA024214B1; EA201290829A1; EP2539658A2

Abstract

A flushing system for a dryer includes a support ring, a tubing ring fixed to the support ring, wherein the tubing ring comprises an inner diameter and an outer diameter, a fluid source in fluid communication with the inner diameter of the tubing ring, and a plurality of openings disposed around a circumference of the tubing ring configured to expel fluid from the tubing ring. A method of flushing a solids outlet of a material dryer separating a mixture of solids and liquids into a solids phase and a liquid phase, collecting the solids phase in a discharge chamber section, providing a flow of fluid to an inner diameter of a tubing ring, expelling the fluid through a plurality of openings disposed in the tubing ring, and removing accumulated solids from a wall of the discharge chamber section of the material dryer.

Description

APPARATUS AND METHOD OF CLEANING FOR A MATERIALS DRYER FIELD OF THE INVENTION The embodiments described in the present invention generally relate to a material dryer configured to receive a mixture of solids and liquids and to separate the mixture into a solids phase and a liquid phase. In particular, the embodiments described in the present invention generally relate to a material dryer configured to temporarily store the solids phase. More specifically, the embodiments described in the present invention generally relate to a material dryer having a cleaning system.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Rotary drilling methods using a drill bit and drill rods have long been used to drill wells in underground formations. Drilling fluids or muds frequently circulate in the well during said drilling to cool and lubricate the drilling apparatus, raise the drilling cuts out of the well and compensate for the pressure of the underground formation encountered. The recirculation of the drilling mud requires the removal of drilling cuts and other solids dragged from the drilling mud before its reuse. Agitator separators are frequently used to remove bulk solids from the drilling fluid.

Bulk solids removed from the drilling fluid by agitator separators often include oil-impregnated or water-impregnated cuts that include hydrocarbons from the drilling fluid, the well, or both. Typically, said oil cuttings are not discharged directly into the environment due to environmental issues with respect to the hydrocarbons and because valuable additives can be recovered which often creep into the cuttings. A drying operation for drilling cuts can be implemented as a secondary operation for the agitator separator, to remove the residual drilling fluid from the cuts.

Vertical centrifugal separators are often used to dry the cuts prior to unloading or harvesting. In general, vertical separators or material dryers include a housing that contains a drive mechanism that is connected to a path assembly and a filter assembly. The separator further includes an inlet to receive the material to be separated. The material directed to the separator is captured by a path and filter assembly and the separation occurs as the material moves downward. A liquid component and / or very small particles are forced out through a centrifugal force through a fine mesh filter in a space between the filter and the housing. Then, most of the liquids are removed and solids are generally expelled from an outlet assembly having an outer circumferential wall located below the rotor drive assembly.

Due to the centrifugal force used to separate the liquid component from the solid component, the solid component tends to be thrown outward in the direction of rotation of the return and filter assembly during discharge. This often results in an accumulation of solid material in the circumferential outer wall of the solid exit assembly that must be periodically removed to prevent the solids outlet assembly from reversing back toward the area between the travel assembly and the assembly. filter. Cleaning the solids outlet assembly requires stopping the separator for a period of time necessary to clean the assembly.

In order to avoid the accumulation of solid material, US Patent Publication No. 2008/0120864 discloses a centrifugal separator having a plurality of impulse nozzles in fluid communication with an air source. The impulse nozzles can be operated periodically, thus releasing an explosion of air in the solids outlet assembly. Additionally, the pulse nozzles may be positioned to provide an air explosion in a radial direction towards the circumferential outer wall or the impulse nozzles may be positioned to discharge air in an axial direction relative to the circumferential wall.

Therefore, a cleaning apparatus is needed to prevent accumulations of solids in a solid exit assembly of a material dryer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In one aspect of the invention, the embodiments described herein relate to a cleaning system for a dryer, the cleaning system includes a support ring, a pipe ring fixed to the support ring, wherein the pipe ring comprises an inner diameter and an outer diameter, a fluid source in fluid communication with the inner diameter of the pipe ring, and a plurality of openings placed around the circumference of the pipe ring configured to eject fluid from the pipe ring.

In another aspect, the embodiments described herein relate to a method of discharging a solids outlet from a material dryer, the method includes introducing a mixture of solids and liquids into the material dryer, separating the solid mixture and liquids in a phase of solids and a phase of liquids, and collect the phase of solids in a section of the discharge chamber, providing a flow of fluids to an inner diameter of a pipe ring, where the pipe ring is placed inside the section of the discharge chamber. In certain embodiments, the method further includes ejecting the fluid through a plurality of openings placed in the pipe ring, and removing the accumulated solids from a wall of the discharge chamber section of the material dryer.

In yet another aspect, the embodiments described herein relate to a material dryer assembly that includes an inlet configured to receive a mixture of solids and liquids in the material dryer, a centrifugal separator configured to separate the solid mixture and liquids in a phase of solids and a phase of liquids, a solids discharge chamber configured to receive the separated solids phase and a cleaning system. In certain embodiments, the cleaning system includes a pipe ring fixed to the support ring, wherein the pipe ring comprises an inner diameter and an outer diameter, a fluid source in fluid communication with the inner diameter of the pipe ring, and a plurality of openings placed around the circumference of the pipe ring configured to eject fluid from the pipe ring.

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

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1| is a perspective view of a cleaning system according to the embodiments described herein.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a cleaning system according to the embodiments described herein.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a material dryer according to the embodiments described herein.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a cleaning system according to the embodiments described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In one aspect, the embodiments described herein relate to a material dryer configured to receive a mixture of solids and liquids and to separate the mixture into a solids phase and a liquid phase. In particular, the embodiments described herein generally refer to a dryer of material configured to prevent accumulations of material in a discharge chamber of the material dryer.

With respect first of all to Figures 1 and 2, the perspective and transverse views, respectively, of a cleaning system 100 according to the embodiments described herein are shown. The cleaning system 100 may include a support ring 102 made of a material configured to withstand water temperatures of between about 25 and about 120 degrees Fahrenheit. In certain embodiments, the support ring 102 can be formed by rolling a flat metal bar, such as, for example, steel or stainless steel, into a ring having an outer diameter 104 and two ends of the flat bar can be welded or otherwise hold one with the other.

A pipe ring 106 having an inner diameter 108 a little greater or approximately equal to the outer diameter 104 of a support ring 102 can be mounted on an outer surface 110 of the support ring 102. In certain embodiments, the pipe ring 106 it can be mounted to the support ring 102 using solders, adhesives or mechanical accessories such as, for example, clamps. In a mode in which clamps 112 are used, a plurality of recesses 114 may be drilled in the support ring 102 having any desirable spacing between them and the recesses 114 may then be threaded. The pipe ring 106 can be secured to the support ring 102 by aligning the clamps 112 with the recesses 114 and clamping the clamps 112 securely to the support ring 102 by, for example, bolts, screws, rivets or any other known fastener in The technique.

With respect now to Figure 2, the pipe ring 106 may include an inner diameter 116 and an outer diameter 118. The pipe ring 106 may be formed by rolling a section of the plastic hose or metal pipe in a ring, and two ends of the pipe section may be connected using, for example, accessories of threaded pipe or welding. In certain embodiments, the threaded pipe fittings can be formed from a corrosion resistant material such as, for example, stainless steel. With respect to Figure 1, in one embodiment, a joining fitting 120 may be coupled to each end of the rolled pipe section of the pipe ring 106 and a T-fitting 122 having three openings may be connected therebetween. A first opening of the T-fitting 122 may be coupled to a first attachment 120 and a second opening of the T-fitting 122 may be coupled to a second attachment 120.

A third opening in the T-fitting 122 may be connected to a fluid supply line (not shown) and the fluid supply line may be configured to provide a flow of fluids to the cleaning system 100. In certain embodiments, water can be provided from a storage tank (not shown) to a cleaning system 100. Alternatively, for the modalities used in an offshore drilling environment, a salt water line (not shown) of an equipment The oil drilling system can provide a flow of salt water to the cleaning system 110. In embodiments using salt water fluid, it can be beneficial that the components of the cleaning system 100 are made of a non-corrosive material such as, for example, stainless steel, or it may be coated with a non-corrosive material such as, for example, zinc.

Referring now to Figure 3, a cross-sectional view of a material dryer 300 is shown according to embodiments described herein. An example of a commercially available dryer is the Verti-G dryer of M-I SWACO® L.L.C. (Houston Texas). The material dryer 300 may include an inlet 302 configured to receive a mixture of solids and liquids, and may additionally include a separator assembly 304 for separating the mixture into a solids phase and a liquid phase. In certain embodiments, the spacer assembly 304 may include, for example, a stroke and filter assembly (not shown), as discussed above. The separated solids phase can be collected in a solids discharge chamber 306 having an outer circumferential wall 308. The cleaning system 100 can be placed inside the material dryer 300 and can be mounted on an upper surface 310 of the chamber of discharge of solids 306. In certain embodiments, the cleaning system 100 may be fixed to the upper surface 310 using solders, adhesives or mechanical fasteners. For example, the support ring 102 may be welded to the upper surface 310 of the solids discharge chamber 306. In alternative embodiments, the pipe ring 106 may be directly attached to the upper surface 310 of the solids discharge chamber 306 using, for example, clamps, welds or adhesives. The upper surface 310 of the solids discharge chamber 306 may be positioned below a rotor (not shown) in the separator assembly 304. A fluid supply line (not shown) may be connected to the pipe ring 106 a through an external housing 312 of the material dryer 300 such that the fluid supply line can be in fluid communication with the inner diameter 116 of the pipe ring 106. In select embodiments, a control valve (not shown) it can be placed in the fluid supply line in such a way that the speed of fluid flow is controlled.

Referring now to Figure 4, there is shown a perspective view of the cleaning system 100 assembled within the material dryer 300. During operation, the fluid can be received in an internal diameter (not shown) of the pipe ring 106. and can be expelled through a plurality of openings 402 placed in the pipe ring 106. The openings 402 can be positioned along the pipe ring 106 and in certain embodiments, the openings 402 can be placed end to end separated by approximately 1 inch between them. At least one of the openings 402 may include a cut with a straight or arched groove in a pipe ring 106 such that the fluid can be expelled along the length of the groove, thereby expelling the fluid in the form of a fluid wall. In select embodiments, the opening 402 may have a length of approximately 5 inches and a width of approximately 1/16 inches. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a variety of design variables such as, for example, shape, length and width of the opening 402 can be used to determine an amount of fluid expelled from the pipe ring 106 and to create a profile of desired ejected fluid such as, for example, an aerosol, stream or wall. Those skilled in the art will further appreciate that the amount of openings 402 in addition to the fluid flow rate through the system can also be factors that determine the amount of fluid injected into the solids discharge chamber.

Additionally, the pressure at which the fluid exits the openings 402 may be related to the rate of fluid flow through the cleaning system 100. In certain embodiments, it may be desirable to expel the fluid from the openings 402 to high. pressure so that the fluid can be brought into contact with the accumulated solids (not shown) that can be placed in an outer circumferential wall 308 at high pressure and thus the accumulated solids can be removed. The pressure at which the fluid contacts is the accumulated solids and / or the outer circumferential wall 308 can be defined by the design variables described above in addition to the flow velocity of the fluid through the cleaning system 100. In In certain embodiments, the fluid can be pumped using, for example, a diaphragm pump (not shown) through the cleaning system 100 at a flow rate of between about 40 gallons per minute (gpm) and about 75 gpm. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that it may be desirable to graduate the cleaning system according to the size and capacity of the material dryer where the cleaning system will be installed. For example, a dryer of larger material may require a larger cleaning system having a higher fluid flow rate, while a dryer of smaller material may require a smaller cleaning system having a lower fluid flow rate.

The path of the fluid expelled from the pipe ring 108 may be determined by the design variables described above, namely shape, length, width and number of openings 402, and the fluid flow rate to the cleaning system 100, in addition of the position of the openings 402 in the pipe ring 108. In certain embodiments, the openings 402 may be placed in a lower portion or outer portion of the pipe ring 108 facing the outer circumferential wall 308 such that the The fluid is expelled towards the outer circumferential wall 308. Therefore, the fluid can be brought into contact and passes through the outer circumferential wall 308. The initial contact of the fluid in the outer circumferential wall 308 and / or in the accumulated solids can remove solids. accumulated from the outer circumferential wall 308 of the solids discharge chamber 306. The fact that the fluid passes through the circumferential wall exterior 308 can prevent the additional accumulation of solids in it.

The flow of fluids to the cleaning system 100 can be continuous or can be pumped at intervals. The cleaning system 100 may be configured to perform a discharge operation at predetermined time intervals or may be configured to clean the solids discharge chamber 306 after a certain volume of material has accumulated therein. In certain modalities, the cleaning can be carried out while the material dryer is in operation or, alternatively, the cleaning can be carried out between the operations of the material dryer. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the cleaning system 100 can be activated manually or can be automated to provide cleaning at certain times.

The cleaning system 100 can prevent the accumulation of solids in the outer circumferential wall 308; however, a volume of solids can still be accumulated within the solids discharge chamber 306 as the material dryer 300 continues to operate. Once the solids accumulate to certain height or volume within the solids discharge chamber 306, a cleaning operation can be performed to remove the accumulated solids leaving the solids discharge chamber 306 substantially empty.

Advantageously, the embodiments described in the present invention can provide for the cleaning of accumulated solids from an outer circumferential wall placed in a solids discharge chamber of a material dryer. Additionally, the embodiments described herein may prevent the accumulation of solids in the outer circumferential wall. A system and a cleaning method according to the embodiments described herein can advantageously reduce the frequency with which the solids discharge chamber is manually cleaned and additionally, the embodiments described herein can reduce the amount of time and work which requires each manual cleaning of the solids discharge chambers. Removing and / or preventing the accumulation of solids in the outer circumferential wall can prevent solids from accumulating and damaging the rotor placed in the material dryer.

While the invention has been described in relation to a limited number of embodiments, those skilled in the art benefiting from this disclosure will appreciate that other embodiments may be found that do not depart from the scope of the invention as described herein. Accordingly, the scope of the invention will only be limited by the appended claims.

Claims

NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION Having described the present invention as above, it is considered as a novelty and, therefore, the content of the following is claimed as property: CLAIMS

1. A cleaning system for a dryer characterized in that it comprises: a support ring; a pipe ring fixed to the support ring, wherein the pipe ring comprises an inner diameter and an outer diameter; a source of fluids in fluid communication with the inner diameter of the pipe ring; Y . a plurality of openings placed around a circumference of the pipe ring configured to eject fluids from the pipe ring.

2. The system of claim 1, characterized in that the pipe ring is formed from a material selected from a group consisting of steel and stainless steel.

3. The system of claim 1, characterized in that the inner diameter of the pipe ring is about one-half inch.

4. The system of claim 1, characterized in that the pipe ring is coupled to the support ring using a plurality of clamps.

5. The system of claim 1, characterized in that the openings are configured to direct the water out of the pipe ring in a downward direction.

6. The system of claim 1, characterized in that the openings are approximately 5 inches long and approximately 1/16 inches wide.

7. The system of claim 1, characterized in that the openings are spaced apart in the pipe ring by approximately one inch.

8. The system of claim 1, characterized in that the fluid pumped through the pipe ring from the fluid source is one that is selected from the group consisting of water and salt water.

9. A method for cleaning a solids outlet of a dryer of material characterized in that it comprises: introduce a mixture of solids and liquids in the material dryer; Separate the mixture of solids and liquids in a phase of solids and a phase of liquids; collect the solids phase in a section of the discharge chamber; providing a flow of fluids to an inner diameter of a pipe ring, wherein the pipe ring is positioned within the section of the discharge chamber; ejecting the fluid through a plurality of openings placed in the pipe ring; Y remove the accumulated solids from a wall of the section of the discharge chamber of the material dryer.

10. The method of claim 9, characterized in that the fluid is expelled towards the wall of the section of the discharge chamber of the material dryer.

11. The method of claim 9, characterized in that providing a flow of fluids to the inner diameter of the pipe ring further comprises pumping the fluid at a flow rate between about 40 gpm and 75 gpm.

12. The method of claim 9, characterized in that providing a flow of fluids to the inner diameter of the pipe ring further comprises pumping salt water to the pipe ring from a salt water line of an offshore drilling rig.

13. The method of claim 9, characterized in that a diaphragm pump provides fluid flow to the inner diameter of the pipe ring from a fluid supply tank.

14. A material dryer assembly characterized in that it comprises: an inlet configured to receive a mixture of solids and liquids in the material dryer; a centrifugal separator configured to separate the mixture of solids and liquids in a phase of solids and a phase of liquids; a solids discharge chamber configured to receive the separated solids phase; Y a cleaning system that includes: a pipe ring fixed to the support ring, wherein the pipe ring comprises an inner diameter and an outer diameter; a source of fluids in fluid communication with the inner diameter of the pipe ring; Y a plurality of openings placed around a circumference of the pipe ring configured to eject fluids from the pipe ring.

15. The material dryer assembly of claim 14, characterized in that it further comprises a support ring.

16. The material dryer assembly of claim 14, characterized in that the cleaning system is coupled to the upper surface of the solids discharge chamber.

17. The material dryer assembly of claim 16, characterized in that the cleaning system is coupled to the body of the dryer using a weld.

18. The material dryer assembly of claim 14, characterized in that the pipe ring is formed from a material selected from the group consisting of steel and stainless steel.

19. The material dryer assembly of claim 14, characterized in that the salt water line of an offshore drilling rig supplies fluid to the pipe ring.

20. The material dryer assembly of claim 19, wherein the salt water line provides salt water to the pipe ring at a flow rate of between about 40 gpm and about 75 gpm.