The Zhongyuan Oilfield has completed and put into operation the Dongpu drilling mud treatment center, which provides “one-stop” treatment and resource utilization for waste drilling mud

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In 2026, during the 25th National “Safety Production Month”, everyone is encouraged to prioritize safety and be capable of responding to emergencies; efforts are also being made to identify and rectify potential risks and hazards. -------------------------------------------------- The Zhongyuan Oilfield has completed the construction and put into operation the Dongpu Drilling Mud Treatment Center, which provides a “one-stop” solution for treating and recycling waste drilling mud. This closed-loop treatment process transforms what was once waste into valuable resources. On June 10, a tanker truck carrying waste drilling mud departed from the Well W72-133 site at the Wenliu Oil Production Plant of the Zhongyuan Oilfield and headed toward the Dongpu Drilling Mud Treatment Center. In the past, this sludge had to be outsourced for treatment, which was costly and time-consuming. Today, they are “reborn” here, turning into reusable resources. “Mud enters, sludge exits, and the filtrate is reinjected. ”Le Zhonghui, head of the mud treatment workshop at the center, pointed to the operating filter press and said, “Simply put, it transforms waste into raw materials.” ” For a long time, the treatment of spent drilling mud has been a challenging issue in environmental protection efforts in oilfields. In February 2025, the Dongpu Drilling Mud Treatment Center at the Zhongyuan Oilfield, with an annual processing capacity of 120,000 tons, was completed and put into operation. Thus, the drilling waste mud in the Dongpu old area of the Zhongyuan Oilfield has become independent from external outsourcing, enabling centralized internal disposal. “This is a practical step we are taking to advance the establishment of ‘waste-free enterprises’. ”Hu Yanfeng, head of the Energy and Environmental Protection Section in the Oilfield Safety and Environmental Protection Department, said. Waste slurry is a milky, turbid liquid; the key to its treatment is solid-liquid separation. Relying on the integrated “chemical dosing—destabilization—flocculation—pressure filtration and separation” process, the technical team repeatedly optimized the chemical formulation. “The function of the chemical is to disrupt the colloidal stability of the mud, causing the fine particles to aggregate into clumps. ”Gao Dengshan, director of the Safety Management Office at the center, gave an analogy: “It’s like using brine to coagulate tofu; when done properly, the clear part remains clear and the residue stays separate.” ”The results of the laboratory-scale filter press experiments are quite impressive: after optimization, the moisture content of the sludge cake decreased by 7.17%, and the filtration time was halved. The quality of the mud cakes meets the requirements for resource utilization better, and the processing efficiency is significantly improved. Since the beginning of this year, the center has carried out several technological upgrades aimed at overcoming production bottlenecks. Four mixers were added to the liquid supply tank, increasing the effective storage capacity from 30 cubic meters to 70 cubic meters. The filter liquor reuse process has been modified, with a new centrifugal pump added to enable direct delivery of the filter liquor, thereby reducing energy consumption and shortening the pressure filtration cycle. Enlarge the chemical dosing tank to ensure a continuous supply of chemicals. As of June 10, the center’s daily processing capacity had increased by 40% since its inception. Where did the treated sludge cake go? The brick factories in the surrounding area became its new destination. The separated filtrate then enters the produced water treatment station; after meeting standards, it is reinjected underground to replenish formation energy.