Microwave remediation of oil well drill cuttings

Abstract

Some types of drilling fluids commonly used in oil and gas drilling operations are highly toxic synthetic fluids with low biodegradability. These fluids contaminate drill cuttings, which must undergo decontamination before disposal. Microwave drying has been investigated as a remediation technique for drill cuttings. This work investigates the influence of the following variables and parameters on the microwave drying process: heterogeneous drying, initial drilling fluid content in the drill cuttings, mechanical stirring of the bed, and type of synthetic drilling fluid. The results indicate that temperature gradients within the cavity, intrusive effect of metals and the container edges influenced the heterogeneity of the process. An increase in initial drilling fluid content decreased the drying efficiency. Mechanical stirring of the bed increased the drying efficiency by up to 17%. The type of synthetic oil base in the drilling fluid did not significantly affect the drying kinetics.