Assessment and reduction of drilling waste impact on the environment components

UDK: 502.55:622.24

Key words: drill cuttings, environment, drilling waste water, recycling of drilling waste

Authors: V.S. Kuznetsov, I.K. Suprun, D.S. Petrov (Saint-Petersburg Mining University, RF, Saint-Petersburg)

One of the most critical environmental problems of the oil industry in Russia is contamination with drilling waste, which has negative impact on the living conditions of people, animals and plants. The paper studies ways to dispose of drilling waste resulting from well construction. The issue of drilling waste disposal can be solved by using drill cuttings in drilling site construction. With this approach clean drilling waste is dumped into an earth trench specially constructed in the site bank, while drilling wastewater is collected in temporary waterproof earth storage. This well site design secures separate dumping of drilling wastes and drilling wastewaters during all well construction stages. Later on the disturbed lands are subjected to biological recultivation. The biological recultivation can be done in two basic ways: by stimulation of natural grass growth or through perennial grass seeding and, if reasonable, planting of shrub cuttings. It is assumed that from the environmental and economic point of view this approach offers more advantages than other recovery techniques which are currently implemented in the oil industry.

References

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