Process for mixing wellbore fluids

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9745807-B2
Application number	US-201314142164-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 27, 2013
Priority date	Aug 23, 2006
Publication date	Aug 29, 2017
Grant date	Aug 29, 2017

Abstract

A system for mixing drilling fluids that includes a fluid supply tank for supplying an unmixed drilling fluid, a mixing reactor fluidly connected to the fluid supply tank, the mixing reactor including an intake and an outlet; a mixing chamber disposed between the intake and the outlet, an inlet for injecting a compressible driving fluid into the mixing chamber and an inlet for injecting an aerating gas into the mixing chamber is disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A system for mixing drilling fluids, comprising:
a fluid supply tank, having an agitator therein, for supplying an unmixed drilling fluid;
a mixing reactor fluidly connected to the fluid supply tank, the mixing reactor comprising:
an intake and an outlet;
a mixing chamber connected to the intake and the outlet by a fluid line;
an inlet for injecting a compressible driving fluid into the mixing chamber; and
an inlet for injecting an aerating gas into the mixing chamber;

wherein the unmixed drilling fluid is pumped into the mixing reactor by a pump connected to the fluid line and mixed drilling fluids exits the mixing reactor, and further wherein the mixing chamber is configured such that a velocity of the compressible driving fluid entering the mixing chamber increases to form a supersonic energy wave or shock zone in the mixing chamber for mixing the unmixed drilling fluid to form the mixed drilling fluid.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a hopper operatively connected to the fluid supply tank for supplying drilling fluid components to the unmixed drilling fluid.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the unmixed drilling fluid comprises a base fluid, and wherein the system further comprises a hopper fluidly connected to a fluid line between the fluid supply tank and the mixing reactor for supplying drilling fluid additives to the unmixed drilling fluid.

4. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a recycling line fluidly connecting the outlet of the mixing reactor to the intake of the mixing reactor.

5. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a receiving tank fluidly connected to the mixing reactor for collecting the mixed drilling fluid.

6. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a pump fluidly connected to the fluid supply tank and the mixing reactor for pumping unmixed drilling fluid to the mixing reactor.

Assignees

• M-I L L C

Inventors

• Bingham Richard
• Garcia Diana

Classifications

• B01F3/0446

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B01F5/0415

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B01F2215/0081

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B01F3/0861

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B01F5/106

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic