Page 80: of Offshore Engineer Magazine (Sep/Oct 2013)

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Production

Cutting

Dry cuttings coming off the MudCube. shale shaker still poses a number of HSE concerns, including noise, vibration, through mud emissions, and ineffcient solids control.

Maersk Drilling recently decided to

Cubility’s MudCube shale shaker

HSE (health, safety and environment) tackle the HSE and ineffciency issues, standards, particularly related to created by traditional shale shakers, made a name for itself on its waste and employee conditions. One by using Cubility’s MudCube on its frst commercial installation on area of concern is the waste produced Maersk Giant jackup rig. Its use aboard

Maersk Drilling’s in Maersk Giant and environments created during the the jackup was the frst commercial solids-control process, where fuids installation and was operational from the North Sea.

and cuttings are separated via a shaker. 3Q 2012.

A vacuum conveyor system (VCS)

Traditional shale shakers, which rely

By Asbjørn Kroken, integrates cuttings transport and clean- on technologies created in the 1930s,

VP, Cubility ing, real-time monitoring systems, and have remained the primary method for solids control for both on- and he North Sea has long been a automation components. It operates offshore wells. Despite incre- critical area of exploration cleanly and safely, without high-g- mental improvements and produc- forces, cuttings degradation, or fuid

T over the years, the tion within the oil mist and vapor pollution, thereby and gas industry. improving the working environment. traditional

Advances in tech- To date, the shaker has been intro- nology mean many duced to drilling sites in the North Sea felds once thought and in the US Marcellus shale play. to be fully tapped are still producing

Drilling fuid with cuttings enter and are at great volumes. distributed over the flterbelt (screen). The

The region is vacuum conveyor system pulls fuid through also known for the screen, leaving cuttings. The fuid then pssses through a second flter and back into the active system.

its stringent

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