Helena, MT, June 2, 2016 – Drake Water Technologies has developed and
demonstrated three single-load, on-site, mobile remediation technologies for virtually all
oilfield and refinery wastes.
These three novel treatment processes eliminate the need to stabilize, haul, and landfill
wastes including drill cuttings, invert fluids, spent emulsions, slop oil, tank bottoms, rag
layer, pit residues, and soils that are contaminated with hazardous materials,
hydrocarbons, and salt brines. This significantly reduces disposal costs by eliminating
purchases of stabilizing materials (flyash), transport containers, trucking services, and
tipping fees.
In addition to Drake’s patented and unique water treatment technologies, the three on-
site solids remediation technologies are branded ThermFlo, CuttFlo, and CLS (Cuttings
Leaching System) and are described below. Both ThermFlo and CLS were approved
by the North Dakota Department of Health as pilot project facilities pursuant to House
Bill 1390 (2015).
ThermFlo – a mobile low temperature catalytic oxidation with salt partitioning is by far
the cheapest means to completely decontaminate invert drill cuttings and
hydrocarbon contaminated soils to render them suitable for unrestricted use or onsite
surface application. Five pilot tests were conducted on a variety of oilfield wastes
having as much as 110,000 mg/kg total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) contamination.
All treated solids showed “non-detect TPH” post treatment.
ThermFlo solids before and after treatment
CuttFlo – a compact, efficient, low-cost, mobile thermal desorption technology to
recover clean liquid fuels and water from “fuel-rich” feed materials such as invert
emulsions, slop oil, spent activated carbon, and salt water disposal rag layer. A full-
scale CuttFlo unit (throughput of ~4 tons/hr) has been deployed to Canada.
CLS (Cuttings Leaching System) – a low-cost, high-capacity, efficient, mobile
counter-current leaching system designed for on-site remediation of soils and other
solids contaminated with soluble salts. A pilot CLS system was deployed at an E&P site
near Williston, ND, in September 2015, and test results showed >98% salt removal from
salt brine drilling wastes.
In addition, Drake has successfully bench tested another technology called MagFlo
which is being specifically developed to separate rag layer, a portion of liquid oilfield
wastes that remains as an intractable emulsion that is present between lighter organic
(which floats and can be recovered) and salt water brine (which sinks and can be sent
to a salt water disposal well). Initial testing shows successful separation of emulsions
and rag layer into light oil, salt water, and clean solids.
Drill site or spill site, these unique technologies are available to cure the problem
where and when it occurs, and at a cost well below the current methods of removal,
transport, and tipping fees at a secure landfill.