What is Dewaterability

The chapter describes drilling waste control by integrating Environmental Control Technology (ECT) with the drilling process. In contrast to remediating “end-of-the-pipe” methods, drilling ECT prevents environmental impact by modifying the process of drilling waste generation. The waste production process in drilling operations with emphasis given to mechanisms of waste volume buildup and the waste toxicity sources is analyzed. In addition, the source-reduction and source-separation techniques built-in the drilling process such as low-toxicity substitution of drilling mud components and high efficiency separators and closed-loop solids control mud system are addressed. The technique of drilling mud dewatering is discussed in detail by describing its principles, installations, and field application case histories. Quantitative analysis of dewatering efficiency using mud-testing results is also presented. The chapter also presents a method for assessing economic and technical feasibility of a dewatering service contracted for the well site.