Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02704274 2010-05-14
SAMPLE WASHER FOR DRILLING CUTTINGS
Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of machines for washing drill cutting
samples
and in particular to a sample washer which provides a unitary system for
degreasing and
washing and optionally drying such samples.
Background of the Invention
During the drilling of a well, mud is circulated down hole to carry away drill
cuttings and to clean the hole. The cuttings are used by geologists or others
to determine the
type and characteristics of the drilled strata. In an active mud system, the
mud is circulated in
a continuous cycle, being, pumped from the drill rig mud tanks, down the hole
to the drilling
bit, and then returning to surface between the drill pipe and the drill hole
wall. The mud brings
up the drilling cuttings which are sampled, washed and dried for further
analysis and are
placed into small plastic vials for both government and oil company use. Rig
hands catch the
sample material by various means, generally every five meters at specific
times. The samples
are then delivered to the geologist for further cleaning and analysis. Various
types of drilling
mud are used today including oil-based mud. Samples drilled with some types of
drilling
fluids are harder to clean and due to the constantly increasing rates of
penetration of the
drilling rigs today, any time saved in the cleaning and processing of samples
is a benefit to the
geologist or person washing samples.
In the prior art, applicant is aware of published United States patent
application
publication number US2005/0205118 published on September 22, 2005 as filed by
Zamfes
and entitled Sample Washer for Drilling Cuttings and Other Unconsolidated and
Discreet
Medias. Zamfes discloses using a container with a liquid supply inlet and
processed
compound discharge a drum of six dual or more screen assemblies being placed
within the
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container in which a top screen is filled with a sample for washing. Liquid is
sprayed into the
container from the top in each screen assembly. A micro-vibrator applies
mechanical and/or
ultrasonic vibrations to the drum and the samples. Air is blown up from
underneath and the
combination of liquid/air mixture, along with the vibration action, is taught
to save washing
time and the amount of liquid spent. The drying of the sample is achieved by
hot air blowing
from underneath and into the sample screen.
Summary of the Invention
In summary, a drill cuttings sample washer according to the present invention
may be characterized in one aspect as including a pair of frame-mounted baths,
a slide bar
which is mounted across one end of the frame and adjacent at least one of the
baths, a spray
arm mounted on the slide bar, sieve holders mounted in the baths, and a
vibrator for vibrating
at least one of the baths, which advantageously is one, or a pair of, washing
baths.
The spray arm may be slidably and pivotably mounted on the slide bar for
selective slidable positioning therealong. The spray arm may be oriented
substantially
perpendicularly to the slide bar. The spray arm pivots for selective raising
and lowering of the
spray arm between a lowered position directly over one of the baths and an
elevated position
allowing a user access into the bath. The spray arm is adapted to spray
downwardly into the
bath when in its lowered position. Mesh-bottomed sample sieves are mountable
into each of
the sieve holders. The spray arm sprays washing fluid such as hot water,
VarsolTM or other
solvents or other washing fluids.
A sample dryer may be mounted to, or is mountable to the frame. The sample
dryer includes a sieve container for mounting at least one of the sieves
therein, and preferably
for mounting an aligned stack of sieves therein. The sieve container forms an
airflow conduit.
A vacuum manifold is mounted in cooperation with the sieve container, for
example below it,
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so as to be in airflow communication with the airflow conduit. An airflow
through the sieve
container and through the stack of sieves mounted therein is the result of a
vacuum applied to
the vacuum manifold. The airflow is drawn by the vacuum through the sieve
container,
through any sieves mounted therein, and into the manifold. The airflow is
extracted from the
manifold.
Advantageously the sieve container is a hollow vessel sized to receive at
least
one sample sieve in snug nested mounting therein, and is adapted to hold one
or a stack of the
sieves substantially horizontal and substantially orthogonal to a flow
direction of the air flow.
The sieve container may be elongate so that the stack of sieves are mountable
therein aligned
so that the airflow passes through the mesh-bottom in each sieve in the stack,
whereby each
sample in each sieve is dried. In one embodiment, where each the sieve is a
circular-rimmed
dish having a mesh screen bottom, the sieve holders and the sieve container
are cylindrical.
In one embodiment the spray arm further includes a spaced apart array of
nozzles spaced apart along the spray arm so as to align the nozzles over
corresponding sieve
holders in the washing baths. Each nozzle may have a shut-off valve mounted
thereto for
selective spraying of fluid, for example hot water, down onto the
corresponding sieve holder.
A draining rack may be provided. The draining rack is adapted to support
sample sieves over at least one of the baths for draining and recirculating
fluid from the sample
sieve back into the corresponding bath. Advantageously that bath is the
degreaser bath, and
the fluid being recirculated is degreaser fluid.
In one embodiment a substantially planar splash shield or cover, for example
of
plastic, is mounted substantially horizontally under the spray arm.
Brief Description of the Drawings
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Figure 1 is, in plan view, the sample washer according to the present
invention.
Figure 2 is a sectional view along line 2-2 in Figure 1.
Figure 3 is, in front elevation, the power control unit of the sample washer
of
Figure 1.
Detailed Description of Embodiments of the Invention
As seen in the accompanying drawings wherein like characters of reference
denote corresponding parts in each view, the present invention provides a
method and
apparatus for washing and drying drill cutting samples using a three stage
process comprising,
for use with oily samples, degreasing a cutting sample in a vibrating
degreasing bath, washing
the sample under a pressurized spray in a washing bath, and, optionally,
drying the samples in
a vacuum down-flow air dryer. When the samples are not oily, the degreasing
bath may be
replaced with a second washing bath.
In the drill cutting sample washer according to a preferred embodiment, drill
cutting samples 10, are apportioned into dish-like containers or sieves 12.
Sieves 12 are
placed into removable sieve holders or trays 14 having lifting handles 14a.
Trays 14 are
placed in both degreasing bath 16 and washing bath 18. A tray 14 will be moved
from the
degreasing bath to the washing bath while containing a set of sieves (and
samples therein)
being washed). In the example illustrated, each removable sieve tray 14
includes apertures or
rims l4b sized to snugly hold sieves 12 nested therein. It is understood that
although in the
illustrated embodiment, each tray 14 holds three sieves, this is not intended
to be limiting as it
is intended to be within the scope of the present invention to provide baths
16, 18 capable of
holding lesser or greater numbers of sieves simultaneously. Advantageously,
frame 20 is
mounted on resilient feet 20c.
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Degreasing bath 16 and washing bath 18 are securely held within frame 20.
Baths 16 and 18 may be rigidly mounted to frame 20 or may be removably
suspended within
the upper opening formed by the upper circumferential frame 20a.
Advantageously, as
illustrated, baths 16 and 18 are rectangular in plan view and are mounted side-
by-side in
parallel array, with the longitudinal axis A of bath 16 being parallel to the
longitudinal axis B
of bath 18, and with the ends of the baths aligned so as to be substantially
co-planar.
A spray arm slide bar 22 is mounted across the top of frame 20 so as to be
parallel to the plane of upper circumferential frame 20 and perpendicular to
the longitudinal
axes of baths 16 and 18. Spray arm 24 is slidably mounted onto slide bar 22 so
as to extend
perpendicularly therefrom. Spray arm 24 extends when in its lowered position
over at least
bath 18 along the length thereof. Spray arm 24 is pivotably mounted onto slide
bar 22, for
example by means of an adjustable mounting bracket 24a. Bracket 24a includes
an adjustment
screw 24b for adjusting the position of spray arm 24 over bath 18. Spray arm
24 may be also
include spray nozzles 26 which are mounted to the underside of the spray arm
so as to be
downwardly oriented when spray arm 24 is in its lowered position such as seen
in Figure 2.
Fluid for example such as pressurized hot water supplied through a hose line
(not shown)
attached to spray arm 24 at hose attachment 24c, flows along the spray arm
through a conduit
(not shown) to feed into each spray nozzle 26. Each spray nozzle 26 has a shut
off valve
controlled by for example a manually actuable on/off lever 26a. A user may
manually control
the flow actuation and volume of flow impinging each sample 10 within bath 18
with the fluid
spray 26b from nozzles 26 by shutting off the fluid flow by closing levers
26a. Spray arm 24
may be rotated upwardly in direction C about slide bar 22 so as to remove the
spray arm 24
from the upper opening into frame 20a to thereby allow a user access to
washing bath 18.
In a preferred embodiment, slide bar 22 extends laterally entirely across
upper
frame 20a so that, in the event that samples 10 do not require a degreasing
bath 16, a second
washing bath 18 may be substituted for degreasing bath 16 or degreasing bath
16 may be
converted for use as a washing bath 18, and a second spray arm 24 may then be
mounted onto
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slide bar 22 so that both washing baths 18 may be simultaneously sprayed. Thus
sieves 12
mounted in trays 14 in both washing baths may be simultaneously sprayed so as
to wash
samples 10 therein.
A dryer frame 20b may optionally be mounted to frame 20 for example at the
end of frame 20 opposite to slide bar 22 by means of for example mounting
brackets or clamps
28. Drying stands 30 are mounted within frame 20b. Drying stands 30 cooperate
with
vacuum manifolds 32. Drying stands 30 may be vertically aligned cylinders as
illustrated or
otherwise be hollow containers shaped to snugly receive nested therein a stack
of sieves 12.
Where sieves 12 are, as illustrated, circular, then drying stands are
cylindrical so that, with a
vertically stacked array of sieves 12 mounted in drying stands 30, a vacuum
applied to vacuum
manifold 32 draws airflow downwardly in direction D through the mesh 12a in
each sieve 12.
Advantageously the bottom screens of sieves 12 are of brass 60 mesh. The
airflow dries
samples 10 contained on the mesh. Although in the illustration two sieves 12
are shown
stacked within a drying stand 30, it is not intended that the present
invention be so limited as
more sieves 12 could be simultaneously dried in a drying stand 30 if the
drying stand 30 was
sufficiently sized.
A mechanical vibrator 34 including for example an off-centered weight
mounted to an electric motor, may be mounted to frame 20. Vibrator 34 may be
mounted
along a lower member thereof underneath degreasing bath 16 as illustrated, or
without
intending to be limiting, may be mounted directly to degreasing bath 16. In
embodiments
where vibrator 34 is electrically powered, vibrator 34 may be provided power
from a power
unit 36 mounted for example on a post 38 slid downwardly into a snugly fitting
collar 40
rigidly mounted to frame 20. Power unit 36 provides switching to control shut
off of vibrator
34 and also controls the intensity of the vibration, for example by
controlling the frequency of
the revolutions of the off-centre weight within vibrator 34.
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In one embodiment, a draining rack 42 is removably mounted between, so as to
suspend the rack over, one or both of baths 16 and 18. The rack may, as
illustrated, include a
series of rings sized to snugly hold therein sieves 12. Thus sieves 12 once
removed from, for
example, degreasing bath 16 may be placed into the rings 42a of rack 42 so as
to drain
degreasing fluid back into bath 16. Advantageously, rings 42a are tilted or
may be selectively
rotated from a horizontal position to tilted position so as to incline sieves
12 downwardly
towards the bath into which it is desired to drain and recapture the fluid
from the sieves. In
this fashion degreasing fluid may be recaptured by draining from sieves 12
prior to drying of
the sieves within drying stands 30.
Splash shield 44 may be provided mounted under spray arm 24.
As will be apparent to those skilled in the art in the light of the foregoing
disclosure, many alterations and modifications are possible in the practice of
this invention
without departing from the spirit or scope thereof. Accordingly, the scope of
the invention is
to be construed in accordance with the substance defined by the following
claims.
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