Waste disposal systems

{
  "publication_number": "US10155181B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Waste disposal systems",
  "abstract": "Embodiments of the present disclosure include systems and methods for collecting, storing, separating, and disposing of waste material from an oil and gas well site in order to enhance payload efficiency. An embodiment of a method, for example, may include introducing a waste material into an enhanced-payload mobile vessel positioned at the oil and gas well site, the waste material selected to include one or more of a sludge waste material, a solids-laden wastewater material, and a dry waste material. The method may further include transporting the waste material when positioned in the enhanced-payload mobile vessel along roadways to an off-site waste management facility. Additionally, the method may include dumping the waste material from the enhanced-payload mobile vessel by a site-based lifting mechanism into a receiving vessel at the off-site waste management facility thereby to dispose of the waste material at a reduced transportation cost.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A system for removing waste material from an industrial site to thereby enhance payload efficiency, the system comprising: an enhanced-payload mobile vessel positioned to receive, at the industrial site, a waste material constituted to include composites of industrial site waste products selected from one or more of a sludge waste material, a solids-laden wastewater material, and a dry waste material, the enhanced-payload mobile vessel including a rear door positioned to create a liquid-tight seal between the enhanced-payload mobile vessel and the rear door, the rear door further having one or more fasteners positioned around a circumference of the rear door, the one or more fasteners positioned to secure the rear door to the enhanced-payload mobile vessel when in a tightened arrangement and further positioned such that the enhanced-payload mobile vessel maintains the liquid-tight seal after the one or more fasteners are loosened but prior to dumping the waste material, and a hinge connected to the rear door, one or more hydraulic controllers positioned to control the rear door; a tractor connected to the enhanced-payload mobile vessel and positioned to transport the waste material when positioned in the enhanced-payload mobile vessel along roadways to an off-site waste management facility; and a lifting mechanism positioned at the off-site waste management facility and positioned to facilitate dumping the waste material from the enhanced-payload mobile vessel into a receiving vessel thereby to process, transport, and dispose of the waste material at a reduced transportation cost.",
    "2. The system of claim 1, wherein the receiving vessel comprises a pit positioned at the off-site waste management facility, and wherein one or more stationary hydraulic pump and reservoir assemblies power the one or more hydraulic controllers to control the rear door.",
    "3. The system of claim 1, wherein the enhanced-payload mobile vessel comprises the tractor and an integrated vessel trailer, wherein the enhanced-payload mobile vessel is positioned to receive the waste material so as to create an even distribution of weight in the enhanced-payload mobile vessel, thereby to optimize the distribution of weight on each of a plurality of axles associated with the integrated vessel trailer so as to enhance an ability to achieve a desired gross vehicle weight for the enhanced-payload mobile vessel, the integrated vessel trailer, and the tractor, and wherein an enhanced payload of the enhanced-payload mobile vessel is greater than 13 tons.",
    "4. The system of claim 1, wherein the waste material is selected to include both liquids-phase content and solids-phase content, and wherein the rear door includes one or more discharge ports through which to drain at least a portion of the liquids-phase content by gravity when flowing therethrough from a rear end of the enhanced-payload mobile vessel and into the receiving vessel.",
    "5. The system of claim 4, wherein the enhanced-payload mobile vessel is further positioned to hold the waste material therein for a residence time sufficient to allow portions or more of the solids-phase content to settle out of the waste material in the enhanced-payload mobile vessel, such that the liquids-phase content is layered above the settled out solids-phase content.",
    "6. A system for removing waste material from an industrial site to thereby enhance payload efficiency, the system comprising: an enhanced-payload mobile vessel positioned to receive, at the industrial site, a waste material constituted to include composites of industrial site waste products selected from one or more of a sludge waste material, a solids-laden wastewater material, and a dry waste material, the enhanced-payload mobile vessel including a rear door positioned to create a liquid-tight seal between the enhanced-payload mobile vessel and the rear door, the rear door further having one or more fasteners positioned around a circumference of the rear door, the one or more fasteners positioned to secure the rear door to the enhanced-payload mobile vessel when in a tightened arrangement and further positioned such that the enhanced-payload mobile vessel maintains the liquid-tight seal after the one or more fasteners are loosened but prior to dumping the waste material, a hinge connected to the rear door, one or more hydraulic controllers positioned to control the rear door, and one or more discharge ports through which to drain at least a portion of liquids-phase content by gravity when flowing therethrough from a rear end of the enhanced-payload mobile vessel; a tractor connected to the enhanced-payload mobile vessel and positioned to transport the waste material when positioned in the enhanced-payload mobile vessel along roadways to an off-site waste management facility; and a lifting mechanism positioned at the off-site waste management facility and positioned to facilitate dumping of the waste material from the enhanced-payload mobile vessel into a receiving vessel thereby to process, transport, and dispose of the waste material at a reduced transportation cost.",
    "7. The system of claim 6, wherein the receiving vessel comprises a pit positioned at the off-site waste management facility, and wherein one or more stationary hydraulic pump and reservoir assemblies power the one or more hydraulic controllers to control the rear door.",
    "8. The system of claim 6, wherein the enhanced-payload mobile vessel comprises the tractor and an integrated vessel trailer, wherein the enhanced-payload mobile vessel is positioned to receive the waste material so as to create an even distribution of weight in the enhanced-payload mobile vessel, thereby to optimize the distribution of weight on each of a plurality of axles associated with the integrated vessel trailer so as to enhance an ability to achieve a desired gross vehicle weight for the enhanced-payload mobile vessel, the integrated vessel trailer, and the tractor, and wherein an enhanced payload of the enhanced-payload mobile vessel is greater than 13 tons.",
    "9. The system of claim 6, wherein the waste material selected to include both liquids-phase content and solids-phase content, and wherein the enhanced-payload mobile vessel is further positioned to hold the waste material therein for a residence time sufficient to allow portions or more of the solids-phase content to settle out of the waste material in the enhanced-payload mobile vessel, such that the liquids-phase content is layered above the settled out solids-phase content.",
    "10. The system of claim 9, wherein the liquids-phase content is layered above the settled out solids-phase content prior to draining through the one or more discharge ports from a rear end of the enhanced-payload mobile vessel and into the receiving vessel."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The disposal of waste material from industrial sites, such as oil and gas wells or other industrial waste production sites such as factories or mills, presents unique challenges due to solid particles often being present in substantially liquid waste. For example, drilling fluids may include combinations of liquids and solids. The fluids may further be combinations of a variety of liquid materials, such as hydrocarbons, drillings muds, water, and the like. This fluid mixture also may contain suspended and dissolved solids, such as dirt, rocks, metals, and the like and may contain materials difficult to handle or for which extended exposure to human interaction is not desirable. Accordingly, waste management typically involves separation of the solids from the liquids at an off-site facility, for example, via a centrifuge. From there, the solids can be compressed to remove additional liquids, thereby enabling disposal of the liquids and solids separately. The transportation, separation, and storage of the sludge of waste material from the site to the facility can present difficulties and significant costs.\n\nApplicant recognized problems associated with prior waste handling and disposal systems and methods and provides enhanced systems and methods for handling, collecting, storing, separating, and disposing of waste materials.",
  "cpc": [
    "C02F 11/121",
    "B01D 21/0015",
    "B01D 21/0024",
    "B01D 21/10",
    "B01D 21/30",
    "B01D 2221/08",
    "B09B 1/00",
    "B60P 1/04",
    "B60P 1/26",
    "B60P 3/22",
    "B60P 3/2245",
    "B60P 3/24",
    "B65G 67/46",
    "C02F 1/5281",
    "C02F 11/008",
    "C02F 11/12",
    "C02F 11/14",
    "C02F 11/143",
    "C02F 11/145",
    "C02F 2001/007",
    "C02F 2103/10",
    "C02F 2201/008",
    "C02F 2303/26"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "B01D 21/00",
    "B01D 21/02",
    "B09B 1/00",
    "B60P 3/22",
    "C02F 1/00",
    "C02F 1/52",
    "C02F 103/10",
    "C02F 11/121",
    "C02F 11/14",
    "C02F 11/143",
    "C02F 11/145"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Buckeye Brine LLC"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "William Dawson",
    "Henry Ross Cheu",
    "David Durakovich",
    "Monty Shell",
    "Todd Schlauch",
    "Steve Mobley",
    "Scott Harlan"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2018-05-08",
  "publication_date": "2018-12-18",
  "grant_date": "2018-12-18",
  "priority_date": "2016-10-17",
  "application_number": "US-201815974163-A",
  "family_id": "61902105",
  "cited_by_count": 22,
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}