Hammermill
"Offshore hammermill process meets OSPAR discharge limit," discusses a thermal desorption method for treating drill cuttings called "Rotomill" (OGJ, May 10, 2004, p. 41).
There are obvious advantages to the method described by Total Waste Management Alliance PLC; chiefly that the equipment offers high capacity with a small footprint. Base oil in the waste is reusable and there is low oil content in the dried mineral solids.
However, the article contains some fundamental misrepresentations. The 1 tonne prototype is a thermo-mechanical TCC unit bought from Thermtech AS in 1994-95, only named Rotomill much later. The other unit referred to in the article, as having processed more than 50,000 tonnes, is another TCC unit, leased to TWMA by Thermtech from 1999 to the present.
There was no such thing as a Rotomill 6 years ago. The name was applied to Thermtech's TCC technology in 2000 and has been used as an unauthorized trademark for the two TCC units. From 2001 to 2003, TWMA built at least three new units (unauthorized copies) without Thermtech's permission.
The City Court of Bergen, Norway, has decided that any utilization of the Rotomill technology is prohibited, based on contractual obligations between Thermtech and TWMA. Both TWMA and Thermtech are currently appealing the judgment.
Anders Haugen
Inhouse Counsel
Thermtech AS
Paradis, Norway
