Vortex type reconditioner and reconditioning method for used drilling mud

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF RECONDITIONING USED DRILLING MUD IN A CONICAL SHAPED VESSEL IN ATMOSPHERIC COMMUNICATION ADJACENT ITS TOP COMPRISING THE STEPS OF INTRODUCING THE MUD IN FLUID STATE INTO SAID CONICAL SHAPED VESSEL THROUGH THE SMALLER BOTTOM END THEREOF WHILE THE VESSEL HAS AT LEAST HALF OF ITS VERTICAL HEIGHT IMMERSED IN A TANK OF THE USED DRILLING MUD AND PUMPING THE USED FLUID DRILLING MUD IN SAID VESSEL WITH A ROTATING, SWIRLING AND UPWARD MOTION, ACCELERATING THE ROTATING SWIRLING MOTION OF THE FLUID MUD BY RAPIDLY ROTATING PERFORATED CONICAL DISCS POSITIONED WITH THEIR CONCAVE SIDES FACING DOWNWARDLY TO SUBJECT THE MUD TO CENTRIFUGAL ACTION SO THAT THE HEAVIER PARTICLES ARE FLATTENED AGAINST THE OUTWARDLY TAPERED WALL OF THE CONICAL VESSEL AND SEPARATED FROM THE MUD, SAID HEAVIER PARTICLES MOVING OUTWARDLY AND UPWARDLY WHILE HELD AGAINST THE CONICAL WALL OF THE VESSEL BY CENTRIFUGAL FORCE, DIRECTING THE SEPARATED HEAVIER PARTICLES AGAINST A CATCH RING PROJECTING ACROSS THE PATH OF THE ASCENDING PARTICLES ADJACENT THE UPPER END OF THE CONICAL VESSEL TO ARREST THE UPWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID PARTICLES, EXPELLING THESE ARRESTED PARTICLES FROM THE VESSEL THROUGH OUTLET MEANS POSITIONED ADJACENT TO AND BELOW SAID CATCH RING, SAID RAPIDLY ROTATING DISCS CREATING A VORTEX WITH A VOID AT SUBSTANTIALLY THE TRANSVERSE CENTER OF THE VESSEL AND CAUSING THE LIBERATION OF THE GAS FROM THE MUD SO THAT THE LIBERATED GAS MOVES INTO THE VOID AND UPWARDLY THROUGH THE PERFORATIONS IN THE DISCS, DISCHARGING THE LIBERATED GAS FROM THE VESSEL INTO THE ATMOSPHERE ADJACENT THE TOP OF THE VESSEL, AND RECOVERING THE RECONDITIONED MUD FOR REUSE.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF RECONDITIONING USED DRILLING MUD IN A CONICAL SHAPED VESSEL IN ATMOSPHERIC COMMUNICATION ADJACENT ITS TOP COMPRISING THE STEPS OF INTRODUCING THE MUD IN FLUID STATE INTO SAID CONICAL SHAPED VESSEL THROUGH THE SMALLER BOTTOM END THEREOF WHILE THE VESSEL HAS AT LEAST HALF OF ITS VERTICAL HEIGHT IMMERSED IN A TANK OF THE USED DRILLING MUD AND PUMPING THE USED FLUID DRILLING MUD IN SAID VESSEL WITH A ROTATING, SWIRLING AND UPWARD MOTION, ACCELERATING THE ROTATING SWIRLING MOTION OF THE FLUID MUD BY RAPIDLY ROTATING PERFORATED CONICAL DISCS POSITIONED WITH THEIR CONCAVE SIDES FACING DOWNWARDLY TO SUBJECT THE MUD TO CENTRIFUGAL ACTION SO THAT THE HEAVIER PARTICLES ARE FLATTENED AGAINST THE OUTWARDLY TAPERED WALL OF THE CONICAL VESSEL AND SEPARATED FROM THE MUD, SAID HEAVIER PARTICLES MOVING OUTWARDLY AND UPWARDLY WHILE HELD AGAINST THE CONICAL WALL OF THE VESSEL BY CENTRIFUGAL FORCE, DIRECTING THE SEPARATED HEAVIER PARTICLES AGAINST A CATCH RING PROJECTING ACROSS THE PATH OF THE ASCENDING PARTICLES ADJACENT THE UPPER END OF THE CONICAL VESSEL TO ARREST THE UPWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID PARTICLES, EXPELLING THESE ARRESTED PARTICLES FROM THE VESSEL THROUGH OUTLET MEANS POSITIONED ADJACENT TO AND BELOW SAID CATCH RING, SAID RAPIDLY ROTATING DISCS CREATING A VORTEX WITH A VOID AT SUBSTANTIALLY THE TRANSVERSE CENTER OF THE VESSEL AND CAUSING THE LIBERATION OF THE GAS FROM THE MUD SO THAT THE LIBERATED GAS MOVES INTO THE VOID AND UPWARDLY THROUGH THE PERFORATIONS IN THE DISCS, DISCHARGING THE LIBERATED GAS FROM THE VESSEL INTO THE ATMOSPHERE ADJACENT THE TOP OF THE VESSEL, AND RECOVERING THE RECONDITIONED MUD FOR REUSE.