An integrated mud gas separator skid includes a frame and a mud gas separator. The integrated mud gas separator skid may include one or more fluid conduits for use with a drilling rig, including an integrated vent line, a high pressure line, a low pressure line, a standpipe manifold, a rig water supply line, a diesel line, an air line, and a rig water return line. The integrated mud gas separator skid may be mechanically coupled to a drilling rig. The integrated mud gas separator skid may need only one crane lift to be mechanically coupled to the drilling rig.

In-line viscosity measurement systems and related methods may be useful in measuring the viscosity of a fluid in a flow path and, more specifically, in-line measuring the viscosity of a drilling fluid when integrated with drilling systems. For example, a method may include drilling a wellbore penetrating a subterranean formation while circulating a drilling fluid through the wellbore; measuring the viscosity of the drilling fluid with an in-line viscometer system after the drilling fluid has circulated through the wellbore, the in-line viscometer systems comprising either: (1) a two coaxial cylinder configuration, (2) a parallel plates configuration, or (3) a combination thereof positioned to allow for the drilling fluid to flow between the coaxial cylinders or parallel plates.

A method comprises controlling an operating pressure of a fluid from a borehole. The fluid comprises solids and entrained gas. The method further comprises removing at least a portion of the entrained gas from the fluid at an upstream location. The method further comprises removing residual entrained gas from the fluid at a downstream location. The method further comprises separating at least a portion of the solids from the fluid. The method further comprises circulating the separated fluid back to the borehole. Separating of solids occurs after the removing of entrained gases from the fluid at the downstream location.

An example method for analyzing drilling fluid used in a drilling operation within a subterranean formation may comprise placing a TOF-MS in fluid communication with a drilling fluid. The drilling fluid may be flowing through a fluid conduit coupled to a drilling assembly. A chemical composition of the drilling fluid may be determined using the TOF-MS. And a formation characteristic may be determined using the determined chemical composition.

A gas separator, gas separation system, and method for separating gas from drilling cuttings by actively maintaining a liquid seal of liquid in a lower portion of a separation vessel by controlling an introduced amount of the liquid admitted to the separation vessel as a removed amount of the liquid is removed from the separation vessel and by promoting agitation of the drilling cuttings in the liquid in an agitation chamber within the lower portion of the separation vessel to aid removal of the drilling cuttings along with the removed amount of the liquid.

A negative pressure shale shaker integrated with negative pressure generation and gas-liquid separation includes a base, a liquid inlet buffer tank, a screen frame assembly, a support frame, a vacuum hose, a damping spring, a screen frame inclination angle adjustment device, a drainage hose, a negative pressure automatic drainage device, a vacuum pan, a three-way pipe, a liquid mist separator, a connecting pipe, a vacuum pressure limiting valve, a silencer and a negative pressure fan. A drilling fluid containing cuttings, after entering the screen with a negative pressure thereunder, rapidly passes through the screen along with air into a vacuum chamber. The air in the vacuum chamber is directly drawn away through holes formed on the side plates of the screen frame by the negative pressure fan.

A drilling system for drilling a well. The drilling system may include a drillstring, a gas detector, and a computer system. The drillstring may include a downhole motor operable to rotate a drill bit and the downhole motor may include a stator and a rotor, at least one of the stator or the rotor comprising an elastomer compound. The gas detector may be operable to detect a gas indicative of deterioration of the elastomer compound. The computer system may be programmed to generate an indication based on the detection of the gas indicative of the deterioration by the gas detector.

A process for producing a base oil composition particularly adapted for use in oil-base drilling mud compositions. The process includes contacting drilling waste containing an oil-base mud phase with a solvent to produce a mixture of liquids and solids, separating the two phases, partially evaporating the liquids phase to produce an oil base composition substantially lacking low molecular weight carbon chain compounds and also lacking significant concentrations of benzene, toluene, xylene, and/or ethyl benzene, and having increased closed-cup flashpoint when compared to the oil-base mud phase in the drilling waste. The resulting base oil has enhanced health and safety characteristics for workers interacting with and otherwise exposed to the oil base composition during transporting, conditioning or using such compositions. The base oil produced and drilling methods using the recovered and recycled mud are also described.

A subsea drilling method and system controls drilling fluid pressure in the borehole of a subsea well, and separates gas from the drilling fluid. Drilling fluid is pumped into the borehole through a drill string and returned through an annulus between the drill string and the well bore and between the drill string and a riser. Drilling fluid pressure is controlled by draining fluid out of the riser or a BOP at a level between the seabed and the surface in order to adjust the hydrostatic head of drilling fluid in the riser. The drained drilling fluid and gas is separated in a subsea separator, where the gas is vented to the surface through a vent line, and the fluid is pumped to the surface via a subsea pump. A closing device and a choke line and valve can release pressure after a gas kick in the well.

A multi-phase separation apparatus shapes fluid flow in a flow shaping line preferably shaped to have a plurality of loops with consecutively decreasing diameters. Shaping the two-phase flow drives the heavier, denser fluids to the outside wall of the flow shaping line and allows the lighter, less dense fluids such as gas to occupy the inner wall of the flow shaping line. With the gas positioned on the inner wall, an exit port on the inner wall permits a majority, if not all, of the gas, along with a minimal amount of liquid, to be diverted to a conventional gas-liquid separator at a flow rate much lower than the total flow rate within the flow shaping line. The remaining liquid flow in the flow shaping line is subsequently introduced into an adjustable phase splitter to separate different liquid components from one another.