Ou "detritos de perfuração".

Drill cuttings. Land and rock removed during the drilling of exploration or production wells. The cuttings are impregnated with oil due to contact with drilling muds.

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Note added at 17 hrs 49 mins (2005-04-28 09:08:05 GMT) Post-grading
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Sendo a frase \"Back loading of drill cuttings to deck tanks\", será que estamos a falar das \"amostras de perfuração\"?
Puxar por galões sem ter em atenção a frase da pergunta pode dar disparate.

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Note added at 18 hrs 9 mins (2005-04-28 09:27:15 GMT) Post-grading
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O que são \"drill cuttings\" (que têm que ser carregados em tanques nos tanques do convés, conforme a frase da pergunta):

Bentonite – drilling material – an additive used with water to lubricate, stabilize, and clear ****drill cuttings**** from a borehole. Bentonite is a naturally occurring mineral used in the drilling process.
Amostras?

Drill cuttings
Chips and small fragments of drilled rock that are brought to the surface by the flow of the drilling mud as it is circulated.
Amostras?

Bailer
A device used in cable tool drilling to remove ***drill cuttings*** from a well.
Amostras?

Drill Cuttings
Rock chippings produced by the action of the drill bit on rock as it works its way down to the subterranean oil or gas bearing formations. Drill cuttings are removed from the well-bore by drilling mud (see drilling mud).
Amostras?

Drill cuttings – the small pieces of rock created as a drill bit moves through underground formations while drilling.
Amostras?

cuttings (Schlumberger)
1. n. [Drilling]
Small pieces of rock that break away due to the action of the bit teeth.
Amostras?

Eurodicautom:
finos de perforación (espanhol)
déblais de foration (francês)

Que os drill cuttings podem ser objecto de análise e são, nesse caso, amostras, não tenho dúvidas.
Mas quando se fala do carregamento do material resultante da perfuração (os drill cuttings) em tanques, deverão continuar a ser referidos como \"amostras\"?

Convém ler sempre a frase completa e o respectivo contexto. Senão, ficamos apenas com o \"chuto\". Puro e simples. O que, num profissional, seja de tradução, seja de outra área, é grave!