ConocoPhillips Cuttings Transfer Case Study

Learn how EDDY Pump technology can help revolutionize the oil and gas and drill cuttings transporting industry using our NoEx System and slurry recirculation mud pumps.

Download PDFContact Us to Quote Your Project

How the EDDY Pump is Revolutionizing the Oil/Gas Industry

The Eddy Pump Corporation is revolutionizing the oilfield drilling mud and cuttings transfer process with the ability to pump abrasive drill cuttings at higher concentrations of solids over liquids. Coupled with a far lower total-life-cycle-cost than any other equipment on the market and its efficiency at handling abrasive solids, more and more oil companies are utilizing Eddy Pump Systems to handle the removal of their drill cuttings. Currently, Eddy Pump has successfully incorporated its technology in various configurations on the North Slope for multiple ConocoPhillips operations, saving the client a substantial amount of money by no longer having to utilize vacuum trucks or excavators to dispose of the drill cuttings.

EDDY Extended Bearing House Recirculation Pump

The first configuration is a 6-inch submersible Eddy Pump with extended shaft and bearing house, along with a dry motor and slurry recirculation system to continually mix the cuttings in the tank to optimize the pumping production. This recirculation system was specifically developed to mount to the inside of an existing cuttings tank, especially when there is inadequate space to fully mount the pump outside the tank. Eddy Pump worked closely with ConocoPhillips and determined that the best course of action would be to have a semi-submersible pump and recirculation system in the 10-ft deep tank installed with a 6-ft shaft and bearing house that would allow a dry TEFC 100-HP motor to be mounted. The entire setup is connected to a Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) to control pump flow and pressure.

Slurry Recirculation Pump Applications

  • Sludge Storage Mixing
  • Keep Grit in Suspension
  • Sump, Railcar, and Settling Tank Mixing
  • Backflow Prevention
  • Mining Froth Flotation

EDDY Pump NoEx Cuttings and Pump Tank

The second drill cuttings removal configuration is our new EDDY NoEx Cuttings Transfer System is the second drill cuttings removal configuration. The entire system has been fully engineered and built by Eddy Pump. The NoEx system offers clients an all-in-one, fully automated drill cuttings tank and removal system that eliminates the need for costly excavators. The NoEx system incorporates a full drill cuttings tank, mounted with two Eddy Pumps for optimal uptime, and a slurry recirculation system for material agitation. This system includes a fully insulated covered tank and redundant pumping system that captures the drill cuttings as they fall off the initial mud shakers. Once the tank reaches a determined limit, the pre-installed Eddy Pumps recirculate and agitate the slurry of cuttings, making them easier to pump to the final destination about 1000-ft away from the tank.. This new system will incorporate a 4-inch Eddy Pump with a 75-HP explosion proof TEFC motor, control system and Variable Frequency Drive, making the entire process 5 times faster and massively increasing the on-site safety of personnel. The NoEx fully contained cuttings transfer system is the future of automated cuttings handling!

EDDY Pump Over-Under Pump

Finally, the third drill cuttings removal system will be installed on the most state-of-the-art drilling rig ever built in the world. Two 6-inch belt-driven Eddy Pumps with 75-HP motors will be mounted on the outside of the cuttings tank in order to transfer the drill cuttings over 1000-ft. These pumps will be controlled by a Variable Frequency Drive and have the potential to save clients millions of dollars over the years.

The EDDY Pump does not have critical tolerances between the impeller (rotor) and the volute like normal centrifugal pumps. This allows the Eddy Pump to pump large solids while drastically reducing wear or losing tolerance when pumping abrasive cuttings. It also allows the Eddy Pump to move material with concentrations of up to 40-70% solids, making it the most optimal pump for mud and drill cuttings. This can save clients millions by eliminating the need for vacuum trucks and excavators. It also avoids costly maintenance of centrifugal pumps that occurs when pumping abrasive, viscous, or corrosive materials such as drill cuttings.

How EDDY Pump Technology Works

The EDDY Pump Excavator Dredge Pump Attachment is a state-of-the-art dredging system that is unique to the market and improves the process for high solids pumping while using the hydraulic power of the existing excavator. This technology easily pins into the existing bucket linkage and is powered off of the excavators’ auxiliary hydraulics. In harsh conditions that demand more power and production, a HPU (Hydraulic Power Unit) is used to meet the project needs.

The pump and equipment are both built and designed by EDDY Pump, ensuring the perfect fit along with maintenance support. The technology can be used for hydraulic barge unloading, mining tailings ponds, slurry ponds, liner safe dredging, heavy construction, dewatering, rail car offload and other applications.

Using a cutterhead or high-pressure water jetting rings (depending on the dredging application), the patented pump technology outperforms all centrifugal, vortex, and positive displacement pumps in a variety of the most difficult pumping applications.

The pump and cutterhead suction dredge work in conjunction to make this the optimal dredging system for handling compact material, highly viscous materials, and for pumping high solids. This pumping system can easily pump slurries up to 4,500-feet without the need for a booster pump.

For large rocks and distances of more than 2,000-feet, an HPU (Hydraulic Power Unit) is recommended for max production. All EDDY Pump suction dredges and excavator cutterheads are powered by field-proven, U.S.A.-built, industrial slurry pumps.

The core of this design is the patented EDDY Pump technology and redefines the pumping industry by being the only pump that utilizes the principles of a tornado to create a synchronized eddy current. This pump is not a centrifugal, positive displacement, or vortex pump, but instead the most efficient high solids and high specific gravity pump on the market. This translates to the ability to pump higher percent solids of material with less water.

inside our dredge pump

The EDDY Pump consists of:

(1) energy generating rotor  attached to the end of a
(2) drive shaft and placed within a
(3) volute. . As the rotor begins to spin, it sets into motion the ambient fluid present within the volute and
(4) adjoining intake chamber. At normal operating speed, this spinning fluid is forced down, into the hollow center of the intake chamber where it creates a high speed, swirling synchronized column of fluid
(5) which agitates the material
(6) to be pumped (sludge, sand, clay etc.) This swirling column of fluid creates a peripheral
(7) “eddy” effect which causes the agitated material to travel by reverse flow, up along the sides of the intake chamber, into the volute. Here the material, under pressure from below, is forced into the
(8) discharge pipe.

About ConocoPhillips

Our technical capabilities, asset quality and scale, and financial strength are unmatched among independent exploration and production companies and uniquely position us to compete around the world.

ConocoPhillips is committed to the efficient and effective exploration and production of oil and natural gas. Producing oil and natural gas and getting them to market takes ingenuity, technology, and investment. Our innovative, collaborative efforts yield products that improve the quality of life globally while producing economic benefits with far-reaching influence.​ ConocoPhillips specializes in exploring for energy resources, producing energy, and getting the energy to market. www.conocophillips.com

About EDDY Pump Corporation

About EDDY Pump Corporation
Founded in 1984, Eddy Pump Corporation provides its clients with the most breakthrough technology and service the industry has to offer. Serving various industries including the U.S. Navy, oil & gas, mining, wastewater, paper/pulp, dredging, fracking, chemical, and others, the core of the company is the patented EDDY Pump technology. The EDDY Pump is not a centrifugal, vortex or positive displacement pump. Instead, it is a patented design built to harness the power of a tornado into fluid dynamics, creating a synchronized eddy current. This design enables the EDDY Pump to handle material once deemed impossible or cost-prohibitive. The EDDY Pump does not have an impeller, but instead a geometrically designed spinning rotor that creates an eddy current. Based on this design, higher suction is created without being restricted by the critical tolerances needed by other pumps. www.eddypump.com

Eddy Pump For High Viscosity

Order or Get Selection Help

Let our sales or engineering support help in your slurry pump and dredge equipment selection. Call (619) 258-7020