Drilling cuttings treatment systems

Abstract

A method of treating drilling cuttings includes controllably feeding a flow of drill cuttings material to a thermal reactor, removing liquid from the drill cuttings material with the thermal reactor, and increasing the flow of drill cuttings material to the thermal reactor when a temperature in the thermal reactor decreases.

1 - 24 . (canceled) 
     
     
         25 . A method of treating drill cuttings, the method comprising:
 controllably feeding a flow of drill cuttings material to a thermal reactor;   removing liquid from said drill cuttings material with said thermal reactor; and   increasing said flow of said drill cuttings material to said thermal reactor when a temperature in said thermal reactor decreases.   
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25 , further comprising decreasing said flow of said drill cuttings material to said thermal reactor when said temperature in said thermal reactor increases. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein controllably feeding said flow of said drill cuttings material to said thermal reactor comprises feeding said drilling cuttings material to said thermal reactor with a drill cuttings feeder system and controlling said flow of said drill cuttings material from said drill cuttings feeder to said thermal reactor with a control system that is operatively coupled to said drill cuttings feeder system. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27 , further comprising controlling a level of said drill cuttings material in said drill cuttings feeder system so as to substantially maintain an airlock condition at a material inlet to said thermal reactor. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein controllably feeding said flow of said drill cuttings material to said thermal reactor comprises operating a metering screw apparatus to generate said flow of said drill cuttings material. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29 , further comprising maintaining a minimum level of said drill cuttings material above said metering screw apparatus. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 25 , further comprising determining a temperature in said thermal reactor while removing said liquid from said drill cuttings material and controllably feeding said flow of said drilling cuttings material to said thermal reactor based on said determined temperature. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 25 , further comprising maintaining a temperature in said thermal reactor above a pre-defined minimum temperature and below a pre-defined maximum temperature while removing said liquid from said drill cuttings material. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 25 , further comprising controllably rotating a plurality of rotatable friction elements inside of said thermal reactor so as to generate heat in said thermal reactor while removing said liquid from said drill cuttings material. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 33 , further comprising monitoring a rotational speed of said plurality of rotatable friction elements and decreasing said flow of said drill cuttings to said thermal reactor when said rotational speed decreases. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 25 , further comprising controlling an amount of said drill cuttings material in said thermal treatment system so as to substantially maintain an airlock condition at a material outlet from said thermal reactor. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein controllably feeding said flow of said drill cuttings material to said thermal reactor comprises generating a primary feed of drill cuttings material from at least one of a shale shaker, a centrifuge, a vortex dryer, and a hydrocyclone to said thermal reactor. 
     
     
         37 . The thermal treatment system of  claim 36 , wherein controllably feeding said flow of said drill cuttings material comprises generating a secondary feed of drill cuttings material from at least one of a cuttings storage system and a cuttings transfer system to said thermal reactor. 
     
     
         38 . A method of treating drill cuttings, the method comprising:
 operating a feeder system to feed a flow of drilling cuttings material to a thermal reactor;   controlling said flow of said drilling cuttings material from said feeder system to said thermal reactor with a control system;   removing liquid from said drill cuttings material by heating said drill cuttings material in said reactor to at least a first temperature that is sufficiently high enough to vaporize said liquid; and   maintaining a temperature in said thermal reactor at or above said first temperature while removing said liquid from said drilling cuttings material, wherein maintaining said temperature in said thermal reactor at or above said first temperature comprises operating said control system to increase said flow of said drill cuttings material from said feeder system to said thermal reactor when said temperature in said thermal reactor decreases.   
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 38 , wherein maintaining said temperature in said thermal reactor at or above said first temperature further comprises operating said control system to decrease said flow of said drill cuttings material from said feeder system to said thermal reactor when said temperature in said thermal reactor increases. 
     
     
         40 . A method of treating drill cuttings, the method comprising:
 operating a feeder system to feed a flow of drilling cuttings material to a thermal reactor;   controlling said flow of said drilling cuttings material from said feeder system to said thermal reactor with a control system;   removing liquid from said drill cuttings material by heating said drill cuttings material in said reactor to at least a first temperature that is sufficiently high enough to vaporize said liquid; and   maintaining a temperature in said thermal reactor at or above said first temperature while removing said liquid from said drilling cuttings material, wherein maintaining said temperature in said thermal reactor at or above said first temperature comprises operating said control system to decrease said flow of said drill cuttings material from said feeder system to said thermal reactor when said temperature in said thermal reactor increases.