Tuboscope Vetco International Inc.

Michael Reid

J C Briant

A method for recovering a component from a wellbore fluid mixture has been invented that includes feeding a wellbore fluid mixture to a decanting centrifuge, the wellbore fluid containing at least one liquid component and undesirable solids; separating undesirable solids from the wellbore fluid mixture with the decanting centrifuge, producing an intermediate fluid containing the at least one liquid component and a reduced amount of the undesirable solids; and feeding the intermediate fluid to a secondary centrifuge, producing a final fluid containing the at least one liquid component and a further reduced amount of the undesirable solids. In certain aspects at least some of the undesirable solids are barite pieces, which in one aspect have a largest dimension of no more than 192 microns, and in one aspect wherein at least 50% or 99% of the barite pieces by weight are removed. Such a method is useful, in certain aspects, to separate undesirable solids have a largest dimension of at least 75 microns. In one aspect the method is useful to separate brine from a wellbore fluid.

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Lafayette, LA, United States of America

Michael Reid