HDD industrial high performance shale shaker

Indications show that drilling mud shale shaker can achieve solid cuts lower than 74μm, however, when it comes to the practical installation and use of solids control system ( i.e. relative to flow rates, drilling fluid viscosity, shaker screen condition, volume of solids being managed, etc. ) operators should conservatively assume 100μm as the performance limit.

Basically, a screen acts as a “go/no-go” gauge: either a particle is small enough to pass through the screen or it is not. Screening surfaces used in solids control equipment are generally made of multi-layered woven wire screen cloth and are the “heart and soul” of the shaker. Fundamentally, the quality of a shaker is defined by the quality of screens it utilizes. When selecting a solids control system, it is important that the quality of the screen manufacturing and level of experience by the in manufacturing screens is considered.

If the system is appropriately set up with a scalping system and a fine shale shaker screen system, the scalping screens must be sized just coarse enough to ensure that drilling fluid does not sheet off the shaker ( i.e. whole mud losses ). This happens when the scalping screen is too fine to allow the drilling fluids to pass into the solids control system’s dirty tank. Typical scalping screen configurations for HDD applications range from 50 mesh ( API 50 ) to 120 mesh ( API 100 ). Typical fine screen configurations range from 160 ( API 120 ) to 200 mesh ( API 170 ). The API 13C classification is gaining traction in the HDD industry as more contractors focus on the micron cut point they are trying to achieve in their fluid.

Relative to the use of shaker screens, it is the size of the screen openings, not the mesh count that determines the size of the particles separated by the screen. It is because of this fact that HDD system users should compare and specify screens based on their API 13C designation.

Breakdown cause of desilter with shale shaker screen

Now, with the stringent environmental regulations and high mud costs, the economics of an effective mud system come into consideration. Different solids control companies introduce zero-discharge systems, closed-loop systems,"quick move" technology, screening technology, disposal options etc.

desilter with shaker screen

Desilter is a combination of desilter hydrocyclone and shale shaker screen. The polyurethane is used for hydrocyclone. The lower little shale shaker is elliptical. The vibration generator is driven by vibration motor, which makes the screen box keep a integral forward elliptical motion.

Breakdown cause of desilter:
(1) Too small of underflow opening.
(2) Plugged at feed inlet or outlet.
(3) Backflow from overflow manifold, or centrifugal pump impeller worn out or too small,
(4) Drilling through hydratable clays will cause increased viscosity.
(5) Strong vacuum in manifold discharge line.
(6) The apex cone nut is tightened too much which does not allow fluid or solids to exit the hydrocyclones.

Comparison of drilling hydrocyclone desilter and desander

Drilling fluids desilter is used as the 3rd stage of drilling mud solids control equipment, which makes separations between 15 and 45 μm.

Desilter is a combination of desilter hydrocyclone and shale shaker screen. The polyurethane is used for hydrocyclone. The lower little shale shaker is elliptical. The vibration generator is driven by vibration motor, which makes the screen box keep a integral forward elliptical motion.

Drilling fluids desander is used as the 2nd stage drilling fluid solids control equipment of drilling fluids system.The oil drilling desander makes separations between 45 and 75 microns. According to your treating capacity, you can choose the quantity of cones for desander.

According to the size of the cone diameter, desilter is distinguished with desander . Generally, that of the cone of the diameter less than 6″ is called desilter, and used as the third control equipment in drilling operation. We commonly used 5 "and 4" cone to separate solid-phase particle size 15-47μm in the drilling fluid. Desilter cone is different only in size from desander, working principle are exactly the same.

As a key part of drilling fluids solids control equipment desander and desilter for separating solids, hydrocyclones in different specifications work against different diameters and for different cleannesses. Besides, separation capacity is closely related with cyclone diameter since larger diameter is aimed at larger particles while smaller one contends with smaller particles.