Calculating Cuttings Volumes/Weights

G’Day,

Government regulations in some offshore provinces do not allow cuttings to be discarded at sea. Consequently, after most the cuttings are filtered out of the mud, cuttings are placed in skips and transported for shore-based disposal. These skips can weigh as much as 7-8 mTonnes when full. There are empirical equations for predicting the weight or volumes of the remaining cuttings (assuming some fines are re-circulated) using parameters such as the porosity and density of the formations drilled, bit size and perhaps, bit type. 

I would be interested in hearing comments, suggestions, experiences, or even references to manuscripts with empirical equations with assumptions clearly articulated. My goal now is simply to get a reasonable ballpark estimate, assuming I’m asking the right questions.

Cheers, David

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