Oily Drill Cuttings - From Waste to Resource

Abstract

TX 75083-3836, U.S.A., fax 01-972-952-9435. AbstractDischarge of drill cuttings generated offshore while drilling with oil-based drilling fluids in the North Sea areas was banned in 1994. This paper outlines how oily drill cuttings may be used in soil, and presents results of a mesoscale growth experiment where fresh oily cuttings were used in plant growth media.Growth experiments were performed at meso-scale. A standard test species, Rye gras, was grown in pots containing oily cuttings mixed with different soils, and peat in varying ratios. The physical conditions of the oily drill cuttings were generally within current accept criteria for soil meant for agricultural purposes. Measured concentrations of heavy metals and organic components complied with current environmental standards. Analyses included crop yield, assimilation of heavy metals, soil chemistry, and toxicological tests in selected blends of materials. The collected data provide a basis in evaluation of alternative applications of the technology, and issues that should be addressed when environmental impacts in general are discussed.The experiments suggest that oily drill cuttings is applicable as a constituent of growth media, preferably used for cultivation of plants used for other purposes than consumption. Cuttings may be added in significant proportions to natural soils. Thus it should be considered as a viable alternative for final disposal of oily drill cuttings.

Characterization of drilling cuttings generated in oil and gas pre-salt drilling activities and leaching studies of contaminants present in these samples employing saline and aqueous solutions

“…The solubility of barite in seawater has been reported to be around 80 µg L − 1 (Bakhtyar & Gagnon, 2011). Thus, the Ba carried from the cuttings samples and present in the saline leachates was probably in the form of BaSO 4 , which is considered a non-bioavailable form of this metal (Sørheim, 2000). The highest concentration of Ba was found in the saline leachate obtained from the 8-NAF sample, which also had the highest clay fraction content, indicating there may be a correlation between the size of cuttings particles and BaSO 4 leaching in the saline solutions.…”

The Effect Of The Synthetic- And Oil Based Drilling Fluid's Internal Water Phase Composition On Barite Sag

“…This in order to prevent the cuttings hindering growth of natural substances or earth worms in the soil. [19][20] In the process of exchanging the chlorides with other salts to maintain the water activity of the water phase, it was discovered that the presence of different ions had different impact on sag stability of the drilling fluid as well. The following sections describe in detail how such an exchange of salts can affect the drilling fluid sag stability.…”

Eliminating Environmental Risks in Well Construction and Workover

“…Recent work in bio-remediation and land farming has shown impressive results 7,8,9 . Also, the re-injection of slurried cuttings into deep underground strata has been used very successfully in many areas.…”