Drilling Waste

Drill cuttings, Mudslop and Waste Water

SAR offers a environmentally friendly and sustainable handling and treatment of all types of drilling waste with focus on best possible recovery and reuse.

Treatment of Drill Cuttings

SAR makes use of two technologies for processing cuttings; TCC® and ITDU®.
Both technologies are based on a thermal desorption process

How does it work?

TCC® (Thermomechanical Cuttings Cleaner) is one of the most widely used thermal desorption techniques used to treat drill cuttings.

TCC® technology converts kinetic energy ("Friction Heat") into thermal energy in a temperature-controlled desorption, which effectively causes water and oil to evaporate and further condense back to water and oil, while preserving the original quality of the components.

Recovered base oil from TCC® is returned to customers and reused in oil-based mud (OBM) or alternatively used as an energy carrier.

Recovered solids from TCC® (which now have been purified for water and oil) have different industrial uses
Recovered water from TCC® is sent to a final biological treatment at our treatment plant for contaminated water at Mongstad.

Nice to know

The process is regulated by a fully automatic PLC system
Base oil that has been recovered is of excellent quality and can be used in a new OBM or as an energy carrier
The residual oil content of the solids is typically down to 0.2-0.3%
Capacity 4-6 tons per hour, depending on the engine size and the water content of the drill cuttings
The only thermal technology approved for offshore use in Norway
SAR also has mobile TCC® units that can be effectively mobilized and demobilized in connection with projects of shorter duration

ITDU® (Induction Thermal Desorption Unit) is a technology SAR has under development, to treat oil-contaminated soil and sludge, such as cuttings and mudslops.

In contrast to TCC®, ITDU® technology uses inductors ("Induction heat") and converts induction energy to thermal energy in a temperature-controlled desorption, which effectively causes water and oil to evaporate, and further condense separately back to water and oil, at the same time as the original quality of the components is preserved.

Recovered base oil from ITDU® is returned to customers and reused in oil-based sludge (OBM) or alternatively used as an energy carrier.

Recovered solids from ITDU® (which have now been purified for water and oil), have different industrial uses.

Recovered water from ITDU®, is sent to a final biological treatment at our polluted water treatment plant at Mongstad.

Nice to know

The process is regulated by a fully automatic PLC system
Base oil that has been recovered, is of excellent quality and can be used in a new OBM or as an energy carrier
The residual oil content of the solids is typically down to 0.2-0.3%
Capacity 4-6 tons per hour, depending on the inductor size and the water content of the drill cuttings
ITDU®, can also be built as mobile units, which can be effectively mobilized and demobilized in connection with projects of shorter duration
The properties of the treated waste meet the highest environmental standards

Treatment of Mudslop

SAR offers an environmentally friendly and cost-effective solution for the treatment of oil-based slop and sludge (mud).

How does it work?

WOSS (Water Oil Solid Separation) separates mudslop into water, oil and solids using decantation and separation technology (Decanters and Separators).

Recovered sludge (Decanter sludge consisting of oil, water and solids) after WOSS treatment, is further treated in the same way and with the same result as drilling cuttings in TCC® & ITDU®.

Recovered oil after WOSS treatment, is further treated in the condensation process in TCC®, and then achieves the same quality as oil from treatment of drilling cuttings.

Recovered water after WOSS treatment is sent further on to biological treatment at our facility at Mongstad.

The solids that are purified have different industrial uses.

Nice to know

The chemicals used are both environmentally friendly and biodegradable
No organic solvents
Low energy requirements
Cost-effective process
Flexibility to treat sludge with varied composition
High recover rate of oil
The properties of the treated waste meet the highest environmental standards

Treatment of waste water

SAR has a proven technology for treating wastewater from land-based industries, as well as from the offshore oil and gas industry, ships and refineries.

SAR's biological water treatment plant at Mongstad is the largest treatment plant for polluted water in Norway, with a permit for annual treatment capacity and discharges in accordance with strict requirements of 240,000 mᶟ.

The unique thing about the plant is that it is robust, and has the ability to treat a wide range and complex compositions of contaminated water.

The water is mostly produced from offshore industries and includes, among other things, oil-contaminated water, ballast water, washing water, engine room slop and water contaminated with heavy metals.

How does it work?

Best Available Technology (BAT) is implemented to ensure optimal conditions for the process, as well as environmental protection.

Pretreatment of contaminated wastewater is done by chemical processing in a DAF plant ("Disolved Air Flotation"). Heavy metals, solids and hydrocarbons are removed in this process.

Sludge phase from DAF treatment is further treated in decanters to reduce the water content, where the water returns to the biological treatment.

Biological treatment in an activated sludge system ("Active Sludge" Bioreactor), removes dissolved organic compounds, nitrogen and phosphorus from the pretreated water from DAF.

Electric blowers supply air to "diffusers" into the bioreactor (Oxygen to the bacterial culture), sludge settles in a clarification tank, and is recycled back to the active sludge system.

Excess sludge is removed from the biologically active sludge and handled in a dewatering process.

Treated water from the biological treatment is then filtered in a Dynasand filter, which removes excess particles, before the water is finally controlled for discharge to sea.

Nice to know

Chemical additives, which are dissolved by air flotation, are added to remove oil, heavy metals and suspended solids
Biological treatment of organic compounds by a robust and unique bacterial population
SAR's treatment processes are in accordance with the national requirements in Norway for discharges to sea
The properties of the treated waste meet the highest environmental standards