Abstract: Frac sand from a well completion operation is transported to a recycling facility by truck. The frac sand is passed into a washing facility where is it separated from frac sand carrier residue, clays, drilling mud and metal particles. The wash water used in the washing facility is settled and re-used. Mud from the settled wash water is removed and re-used in drilling operations. The frac sand is removed from the washing facility by an inclined dehydration screw, and discharged into a counterflow hot air drying facility. Dust from the drying facility is collected and removed. Hot frac sand from the drying facility is passed through a chiller, and collected. The collected material is sized, and stored for re-use.

Abstract: A well production apparatus includes a down-hole gear pump and a transport assembly to which the gear pump is attached. The transport assembly is formed from a string of modular pipe assemblies having one or more passages for carrying production fluid from the bottom of the well to the surface. The passages can be arranged in a side-by-side configuration, and include pressure and return lines for driving the gear pump. The gear pump includes a hydraulically driven motor that is ganged with a positive displacement gear set. Both the motor and the pumping section have ceramic wear surfaces, the ceramic being chosen to have coefficients of thermal expansion corresponding to the coefficients of thermal expansion of the gear sets. The pumps and rotors have ceramic bushings rather than ball or journal bearings, and are operable under abrasive conditions.

Abstract: A downhole oil/water separation apparatus and process which separates solids from total production fluid prior to oil/water separation is disclosed. Production fluid is passed to a downhole solid/liquid cyclone which separates the fluid into a solids enriched stream and an oil/water stream. The oil is then commingled with the solids enriched stream and brought to surface. The water is reinjected downhole. The method effectively removes solids from the disposal fluid and thus avoids injectivity impairment caused by solids plugging.

Abstract: A system is provided for controlling the feed rate of material being loaded onto a conveyor train of variable configuration to prevent overloading. The system involves monitoring the power drawn by the various drive motors of the train to establish which is the limiting conveyor under prevailing operating conditions. The instantaneous weight of feed material loaded onto the conveyor train, at its input end, is continuously measured and the current average feed rate is computed from the instantaneous weights measured over a pre-set time interval. A rolling average of the total load to be carried by the limiting conveyor downstream is computed from the average feed rate, taking into account the length of the limiting conveyor. The feed rate is then adjusted in response to the computed rolling average to thereby avoid overloading the limiting conveyor and optimize loading of the conveyor train.

Abstract: The primary tailings and middlings are combined and fed to a vessel having the general form of a deep cone thickener. The feed is deflected outwardly and generally horizontally by a baffle, as it is delivered to the vessel. Simultaneously, the outwardly radiating layer of newly added feed is contacted from below by an upwelling stream of aerated middlings, which stream moves in parallel with the aforesaid layer. Bitumen froth is formed and recovered. The upwelling stream is provided by circulating middlings through eductor/aerator assemblies and a plenum chamber mounted centrally in the body of middlings in the vessel. A generally circular circulation of middlings is generated. In this manner, the newly added bitumen is quickly and efficiently recovered. Recirculation of middlings to the aeration zone yields an additional recovery of bitumen. Use of the deep cone ensures that the tailings from the vessel are relatively low in water and bitumen content.