The waste slurry is transferred to the Indirect Thermal Desorption Plant hopper using a front wheel loader.

It is fed from a hopper mounted on the hopper and equipped with a weight controlled feed valve. In the hopper, the material is transferred to the hopper via a transfer screw, which conveys the material to the rotary kiln and provides a seal or air lock for the system.
A sloped conveyor receives the material from the hopper and transfers the feed to the kiln via a dual stage valve assembly.

The kiln is an indirect heated rotary kiln operated in a parallel flow configuration.
The burner flame and exhaust gases do not come into contact with the contaminated material.
The drum rotates in an insulated chamber that can be heated by combined fuel burners that can burn natural gas, fuel oil, syngas or propane.

As the kiln in the Indirect Thermal Desorption system rotates, the surface of the contaminated material exposed to the metal surface is continuously renewed, facilitating heat transfer from the heated chamber to the material through the kiln. The drilling mud is heated to 450°C-550°C to remove contaminants. This is done under anaerobic conditions where oxidation of hydrocarbons or chemical compounds is prevented. The solid processed material is discharged from the furnace via a double stage valve into a Hopper Mixer Cooler (standard) where water is injected and mixed for direct contact material cooling. Optional jacketed screw conveyors are available for indirect cooling. In both options, the hot material leaving the furnace is cooled by direct or indirect contact with water. The steam from the primary treatment unit is drawn into a high efficiency quench scrubber operating at 120°C-130°C and using oil as the quench fluid. The quench removes dust particles and concentrates heavy hydrocarbons from the steam stream. The condensed oil and mud are pumped through a series of filters into an oil/water separator and then to the customer’s storage tank. In the quench scrubber, the non-condensable vapor is drawn through a shell and tube heat exchanger and the temperature is reduced to 20°C-30°C. The vapor is then drawn into a drain pan where the particles are removed by a mist removal pad. The resulting liquid—condensate and oil—is pumped into an oil/water separator and then to the customer’s holding tank. A high-efficiency positive displacement blower draws the non-condensable gases from the drain pan. The gases are then circulated to a thermal oxidizer where the remaining hydrocarbons are broken down and destroyed in less than two seconds at temperatures up to 1000°C-1200°C.

°C. The heat from the oxidizer can be returned to the combustion chamber on the TDU to be used as a fuel source to support the burners and reduce overall operating costs.