Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.

Kevin Gregory Kleinguetl

Brice Aaron Jackson

Adam Dotson

Dale E Jamison

Lawrence Joseph Herskowitz

Drew A Fowler

Jason Glen Bell

Jay Paul Deville

William Walter Shumway

Lawrence Joseph Herskovitz

Systems and methods for treating wastewater with an oil-specific viscosifier composition and separating viscosified oil, undissolved solids and/or particulates, and/or other waste materials in such wastewater are provided. The methods further include: providing wastewater that includes oil; mixing the wastewater with an oil-specific viscosifier composition to form a viscosified oil; and separating at least a portion of the viscosified oil from the wastewater to provide treated water.

Methods and systems for oil in water separation using oil specific viscosifier composition

Automated systems and methods for treating wastewater or effluent are provided. In some embodiments, the methods include: using a set of sensors to measure one or more properties of untreated wastewater or effluent; performing at least one potential chemical treatment and at least one potential mechanical treatment on a sample of the untreated wastewater or effluent, wherein the potential chemical and mechanical treatments are selected based on the properties of the untreated wastewater or effluent; using a set of sensors to measure one or more properties of the treated sample; based at least in part on the data regarding the properties of the treated sample, using an information handling system to select at least one chemical treatment and at least one mechanical treatment; and using the information handling system to control one or more components of a chemical treatment subsystem and a mechanical treatment subsystem to perform the selected chemical and mechanical treatments on the untreated wastewater or effluent to produce treated water.

Wastewater and effluent separation and treatment systems

The present disclosure provides apparatus, systems, and methods for improving slop water treatment efficiency. The method generally includes separating contaminated fluid into a clean fluid layer and one or more contaminant layers floating on a surface of the clean fluid layer in a vessel; reporting to a control unit, a location, sensed by level sensor(s), of an interface between the clean fluid layer and the contaminant layer(s); reporting to the control unit, a height, sensed by a first position sensor, of a skimmer relative to the vessel; adjusting, using the control unit and based on the reported location of the interface and/or the reported height of the skimmer, the height of the skimmer so that one or more components of the skimmer are positioned proximate the sensed location of the interface; and skimming, using the skimmer, the contaminant layer(s) off of the clean fluid layer proximate the sensed interface.

Apparatus, systems, and methods for improving slop water treatment efficiency

Included are methods and systems for recycling a gas emitted from non-aqueous cleaning. An example method includes contacting a contaminated equipment with a non-aqueous cleaning material; wherein the spent non-aqueous cleaning material emits the gas. The method further comprises capturing the emitted gas, filtering the emitted gas, and recycling the emitted gas into the non-aqueous cleaning material.

Capture and recycling methods for non-aqueous cleaning materials

A corrective product addition treatment or surface treatment to a wellbore fluid is based on performing an artificial intelligence technique and/or a closed form solution with respect to one or more fluid properties. Pilot testing and operational testing to operatively dose a fluid at a drilling site may be integrated into the corrective product addition treatment or surface treatment to a wellbore fluid.

Apparatus and methods to manage wellbore fluid properties

Methods for monitoring a drilling process that uses a drilling fluid are described. The methods include measuring an initial salinity of a water phase of the drilling fluid, diluting the drilling fluid with a known amount of water to form a diluted drilling fluid, measuring a salinity of a water phase of the diluted drilling fluid, determining an initial relationship between a salt content and a water content in the drilling fluid using the initial salinity of the water phase of the drilling fluid, calculating an initial water content of the drilling fluid using the measured salinity of the diluted drilling fluid and the initial relationship between the salt content and the water content in the drilling fluid, and adjusting one or more drilling parameters in response to the calculated initial water content.

Methods for determining the water content of a drilling fluid using water phase salinity

Extracting and separating solid particulates from a drilling fluid includes combining a stream of drilling fluid containing solid particulates with a liquefied gas to form a mixture having a reduced viscosity and/or density. The mixture enters a centrifugal separator at a pressure sufficient to keep the liquefied gas in a liquid phase where rotational forces promote the separation of at least a portion of the solid particulates from the mixture. At least a portion of the solid particulates are removed to form a fluid stream having reduced solids content. In embodiments the liquefied gas can be selected from the group consisting of an inert gas, an alkane gas, an alkene gas, an alkyne gas, a noble gas, and combinations thereof. The liquefied gas can be removed from the fluid stream after the centrifugal separator and recycled back to be mixed with the stream of drilling fluid containing solid particulates.

Using a liquefied gas as a centrifuge aid

Provided is a water retort apparatus, methods of using the water retort apparatus, and systems including the water retort apparatus. An example of the water retort apparatus comprises a sample test cell, a heating element configured to heat the sample test cell to a temperature between about 212&#xb0; F. and about 400&#xb0; F., a condenser in fluidic communication with the sample test cell, a sight glass in fluidic communication with the condenser, a camera configured to capture images of the sight glass, and a controller configured to analyze the images captured by the camera and estimate a volume of water in the sight glass.

Water retort

A method, system, and apparatus for using and testing chemically tagged drilling fluid additives. In one embodiment, the method comprises: circulating a drilling fluid in a wellbore, wherein the drilling fluid comprises a chemically tagged drilling fluid additive; and extending the wellbore into one or more subterranean formations while circulating the drilling fluid. A system comprising: a drilling fluid comprising a chemically tagged drilling fluid additive; a drill string comprises a drill bit and a downhole tool; a data processing system operable to receive measurements from the downhole tool to produce a visual representation of the chemically tagged drilling fluid additive in a subterranean formation or a filter cake. An apparatus comprising: a vessel for holding a quantity of a drilling fluid a filter media; a mud sensor; a cake sensor; an outlet sensor; a data processing system coupled to the mud sensor, the cake sensor, and the outlet sensor.

Chemically tagged drilling fluid additives

Wastewater or effluent treatment systems and methods that employ filtering skimmers and/or beaches for separating water from solids and/or other wastes are provided. In some embodiments, the systems include: at least one tank defined by a bottom wall and at least one side wall; a beach including a ramped surface disposed near a side wall of the tank, the ramped surface having a base end disposed at a first elevation relative to the bottom wall of the tank, and a top end opposite the base end at a second elevation relative to the bottom wall of the tank, the second elevation being greater than the first elevation; and a skimmer disposed in the tank that is configured to move material at a surface of the tank toward the beach, wherein (a) at least a portion of the skimmer, (b) at least a portion of the ramped surface of the beach, or (c) at least portions of both the skimmer and the ramped surface of the beach includes a filter material.

Filtering skimmers and beaches for use in water separation and treatment

Methods and apparatuses that measure thermal conductivity and electrical conductivity of a emulsified drilling fluid may be used to indirectly measure the salinity and the average specific gravity of the solids in the emulsified drilling fluid. For example, a drilling assembly may comprise a drill string extending into a wellbore penetrating a subterranean formation; a pump configured to circulate a drilling fluid through the drilling assembly; a first flow line fluidly coupling the wellbore to a retention pit; a second flow line fluidly coupling the retention pit to the pump; a third flow line fluidly coupling the pump to the drill string; and an in-line analysis system fluidly coupled to the retention pit, fluidly coupled to the second flow line, or fluidly coupled to the third flow line, the in-line analysis system comprising a thermal conductivity meter and/or an electrical conductivity meter to a sample container.

Growing community of inventors

Kingwood, TX, United States of America

Kevin Gregory Kleinguetl