Thermomechanical cuttings cleaner – qualification for offshore treatment of oil contaminated cuttings on the norwegian continental shelf and martin linge case study

Abstract

The aim of this thesis is to introduce and qualify the Thermomechanical Cuttings Cleaner (TCC) technology for treatment of oil contaminated cuttings on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS) with particular reference to the Martin Linge field development. In the first part, a summary of drilling waste, related regulation and waste management techniques is given to present the possible treatment and disposal options of oil contaminated cuttings. The thesis then informs about the TCC technology in detail. In the next section the TCC’s treatment capacity and efficiency is verified by means of field data analysis. Both environmental considerations and TCC field experience are taken into account to qualify the TCC technology for use. In the last section the TCC cuttings treatment is compared to cuttings re-injection and skip & ship solution with the aim to find and implement the best cuttings treatment solution at the Martin Linge field. In Conclusion, the thesis argues that the TCC technology qualifies for use on NCS and outlines it to be the best cuttings handling solution for the Martin Linge field development with regards to HSE-, cost and operation reliability considerations. The author recommends the implementation of the TCC technology as presented in the thesis.