An acid spearhead formulation for mineral scale reduction that includes a sulfuric acid solution having an acidity that is substantially equivalent to a hydrochloric acid solution in an acid spearhead formulation, a sodium citrate compound, where an acid spearhead formulation for mineral scale reduction is formed, the acid spearhead formulation is disposed in a well bore to stabilize mineral scales, the acid spearhead formulation is disposed in the well bore to chelate solubilized calcium in a rock bed of the well bore, and the well bore includes a temporal thermodynamic subsurface barite cycling having a subsurface barite dissolution temporal phase, a subsurface barite transport to fractures temporal phase, a subsurface barite precipitation to fracture temporal phase and a subsurface barite dissolution to fracture space temporal phase, where the acid spearhead formulation for mineral scale reduction reacts with the well bore within the subsurface barite dissolution temporal phase.

a method of treating aqueous wellbore fluids, comprising (a) converting one or more multivalent cations in a multivalent cation-containing aqueous fluid to form a mixture comprising one or more insoluble compounds and a treated aqueous fluid, (b) separating the treated aqueous fluid from the one or more insoluble compounds, and (c) contacting the treated aqueous fluid with a sulfide-containing aqueous fluid to form a compatibilized aqueous fluid, wherein the multivalent cation-containing aqueous fluid, the sulfide-containing aqueous fluid, or both were recovered from wellbores prior to (c).

A method and apparatus for removing low micron solids from a mixture of recovered oil based drilling fluid and low micron solids and diluent. A gas tight clarifier device that is designed and constructed for this purpose in a gas-tight manor so to ensure vapour cannot escape the separation process, and foreign oxygen cannot enter the process under normal operating conditions.

A process for the treatment of thick fine tailings that include constituents of concern (CoCs) and suspended solids is provided. The process includes subjecting the thick fine tailings to treatments including chemical immobilization of the CoCs, polymer flocculation of the suspended solids, and dewatering. The chemical immobilization can include the addition of compounds enabling the insolubilization of the CoCs. Subjecting the thick fine tailings to chemical immobilization and polymer flocculation can facilitate production of a reclamation-ready material, which can enable disposing of the material as part of a permanent aquatic storage structure (PASS).

A drill cuttings processing system including a breaker mill. The breaker mill operates to pulverize drill cuttings. The breaker mill includes an outer housing, a drum operatively positioned in the outer housing, hammers operatively positioned in the drum, and a screen configured for discharge of pulverized drill cuttings. A method includes feeding drill cuttings to the breaker mill. The breaker mill is located at a drilling rig site or is attached to a drilling rig. The method includes pulverizing the drill cuttings within the breaker mill.

Taught herein is a two stage process for removing dissolved and emulsified oil from produced water (PW) from, for example, a hydrocarbon well. The first stage involves microbiological stimulation of indigenous oil degrading methanogenic microbial communities that are adapted to high salinity conditions preferably by supplying carbon dioxide and protein-rich matter (isolated soy protein) under controlled pH conditions. The second stage removes toxic metals using filters made of compressed powdered dolomite of uniform grain size. Increased levels of toxic metals removal are achieved by filtrating PW previously treated for oil. To further increase the removal efficiency of the dolomite filter, calcium and magnesium is removed from PW by the addition of lime and soda ash in a sedimentation tank, and guar gum is supplied to PW to enable the trapping of toxic metals by guar gum in small pore throats of the dolomite filter.

A new water treatment system for SAGD operations is disclosed. Instead of treating both produced water and recycled water using warm lime softening systems, the recycled water is combined with saline water in a cold lime softening system. This results in slightly warmed reactions that require less chemicals during the lime softening process while also allowing for larger volumes of treated produced water to be generated by the warm lime softening system.

A method of servicing a wellbore extending from a surface of the earth and penetrating a subterranean formation, including: removing water from an aqueous based wellbore servicing fluid by contacting the aqueous based wellbore servicing fluid with a porous substrate coated with a hydrophilic and oleophobic coating, whereby water is removed from the aqueous based wellbore servicing fluid via passage through the porous substrate, and whereby a water concentration and a volume of the aqueous based wellbore servicing fluid are reduced and a density of the aqueous based wellbore servicing fluid is increased to provide a modified aqueous based wellbore servicing fluid.

Various embodiments disclosed relate to methods of cleaning invert emulsion drilling fluids. In various embodiments, the present invention provides a method of cleaning a drilling fluid. The method includes cleaning a used invert emulsion drilling fluid that includes drilled cuttings to form a cleaned invert emulsion drilling fluid. The cleaning includes processing the used invert emulsion drilling fluid in a separator to remove at least some of the drilled cuttings therefrom.

The present invention relates to a method of dewatering an aqueous mineral suspension comprising introducing into the suspension a flocculating system comprising a mixture of polyethylene oxide polymers, in particular a mixture of one or more high molecular weight polyethylene oxide polymer and one or more ultra high molecular weight polyethylene oxide polymer. Said mixture of polyethylene oxide polymers is useful for the treatment of suspensions of particulate material, especially waste mineral slurries. The invention is particularly suitable for the treatment of tailings and other waste material resulting from mineral processing, in particular, the processing of oil sands tailings.