A separator system and method may provide a four-way separator that may separate a material and remove a hazardous material. The hazardous material may include gas and sand that may be removed by the four-way separator. The separator system and method may further provide a main unit that may include three chambers or recirculation hoppers, an auger sand extractor, and a strap tank. The separator system and method may provide a faster rig-up time and may be exclusively driven by hydraulics.

An apparatus may include: a shaker body; a shaker screen disposed within the shaker body; and one or more air nozzles disposed within the shaker body, wherein the one or more air nozzles is positioned below the shaker screen, and wherein the one or more air nozzles is operable to deliver a pressurized stream of air to at least a portion of a bottom of the shaker screen.

A system for separating solids from a fluid mixture includes a vessel including a first chamber to receive a solid-laden fluid mixture, and a second chamber to receive liquids separated from the solid-laden fluid mixture. In certain aspects, at least one eductor is disposed in the first chamber to flow the solid-laden fluid mixture out of the first chamber. In certain aspects, an auger is disposed in the first chamber to move at least solids of the solid-laden fluid mixture out of the first chamber.

A drilling fluid conditioning system for a well system includes a return conduit configured to receive drilling fluid recirculated from a wellbore of the well system, a drilling fluid pre-chilling system in fluid communication with and downstream from the return conduit, wherein the drilling fluid pre-chilling system includes a cooler configured to transfer heat from the drilling fluid to a heat sink, and a solids control system in fluid communication with and downstream from the drilling fluid pre-chilling system, wherein the solids control system is configured to separate at least some solids from the drilling fluid.

A sand handling system having, for example, one to three sand separators are configured to be operatively connected to a well and an inlet of a common dumping vessel. Advantageously, the dumping vessel has a sensor to measure an amount of sand in the dumping vessel and provide a signal to a programmable controller which is arranged to dump the dumping vessel when a specified amount of sand is in the dumping vessel. The system automates the sand handling process and also measures and records data associated with a number of flowback parameters. The data can then be used in well design to improve oil and/or gas production, lessen sand production, reduce well damage and/or equipment corrosion due to, for example, sand.

A system for collecting solid particles accumulating at the bottom of a subsea oil/water separation station of an installation for the subsea disposal of water produced during the deepwater subsea production of hydrocarbons, comprises at least one vertical drainage channel intended to open into a lower part of a horizontal body (of the oil/water separation station, a discharge pipe to be positioned horizontally under the horizontal body of the oil/water separation station and into which the drainage channel opens, and a high-pressure slurry ejector having a suction port connected to the discharge pipe via a supply valve.

Disclosed is an independent double-negative-pressure shale shaker, and belongs to the technical field of petroleum drilling solid control. The independent double-negative-pressure shale shaker comprises a base, a fluid discharge device, an inclination angle adjustment mechanism, a screening device, an exciting motor and a double-negative-pressure system, wherein the double-negative-pressure system comprises a first negative-pressure system and a second negative-pressure system which are relatively independent; the first negative-pressure system dries drilling fluid of a first screen mesh set close to a material outlet, and the second negative-pressure system increases the treatment capacity of drilling fluid of a second screen mesh set close to the first screen mesh set; and meanwhile, in the deep well section, the second negative-pressure system can be switched to a fluid mist suction state, fluid mist on the screen surface is reduced, the safety is improved, and the pollution of fluid mist is reduced.

An apparatus may include: a shaker body; a shaker screen disposed within the shaker body; and one or more air nozzles disposed within the shaker body, wherein the one or more air nozzles is positioned below the shaker screen, and wherein the one or more air nozzles is operable to deliver a pressurized stream of air to at least a portion of a bottom of the shaker screen.

A control system for a raise boring machine drilling a pilot hole and related methods are disclosed. The control system includes a cuttings box for receiving and weighing cuttings ejected from the pilot hole during drilling. The cuttings box is configured to retain an amount of cuttings indicative of advancing the pilot hole substantially the length of a drill rod. A controller in communication with the cuttings box is configured to receive a signal reflective of a weight of cuttings in the cuttings box. The controller is further configured to compare the received signal to an expected weight criteria associated with the drill rod length, and to in response to the signal satisfying the expected cutting weight criteria, have cuttings ejected from the cuttings box.

A method for demulsifying a recovered drilling fluid is disclosed. A recovered drilling fluid is first combined with dilution water and a diethanolamine-based C.sub.8-C.sub.18 alkanolamide demulsifying agent. The recovered drilling fluid comprises hydrocarbons, a brine having at least 25% total dissolved solids, an emulsifier, and undissolved oil-wetted solids. In a second step, the mixture is separated, or is allowed to separate, into three distinct phases, including a clear oil phase comprising the hydrocarbons, a clear brine phase, and a water-wetted solid phase. Compositions suitable for use as demulsifiers and demulsified compositions are also disclosed. The alkanolamide demulsifying agents enable rapid, clean separation of phases and efficient recovery of 80% or more of the oil phase from the recovered drilling fluid.