What Is the Process of Drilling Fluids Solids Control?

Dec 16, 2013

Usually, an oil well has its maximum level of drilling solids that can be tolerated before problems immerse. This level depends on the solid formation, the type of drilling mud used, and the characteristics of the solids. But many workover rigs that occasionally do some drillings still do not employ solids removal equipment which seems to work satisfactorily only as long as drilling is confined to short intervals. Drilling without removing solids, the circulating system will contain a constant volume of solid phase. The pit level will also remain at a constant level even through the circulating volume increases as an additional hole is drilled. The additional solids from drilling mud will increase the mud weight. Usually many problems will arise if too many drilling solids are allowed to remain in the drilling mud. These effects do not immediately appear after the drilling solids concentrations reach excessive levels. For this reason, many drillers accustomed to drilling shallow wells with unweighted drilling mud find it hard to believe that drilling solid are the cause of their problems. Experience has shown them otherwise. Therefore, it is beneficial to take the detrimental effects of drilling solids seriously and remove them from the drilling mud.
 

Solids Control System
 

The Process of Drilling Mud Solids Control

Solids control is a technique used in drilling rig to separate the solids in the drilling fluids that are crushed by the drill bits and carried out of the well surface. Normally solids control system is consisted of five stages, including mud tank, shale shaker, vacuum degasser, desander, desilter, centrifuge. Shale shaker is used to separate the big solids with diameter above 75μm, and 45~74μm for desander, and 15~44μm for desilter. Sometimes desander & desilter are combined as high efficient mud cleaner. When air enters into the drilling fluids, vacuum degasser is used to separate the air. If no air in the mud, the degasser would work as a big agitator. All these equipmentsare mounted on the top of the mud tank. After separating the solids, the clean mud would be pumped into the borehole again.

KOSUN is a professional manufacturer of solids control system/equipment in China and is the only enterprise manufacturing centrifuge in northwest China. Its core products include: drilling solids control equipment such as shale shaker, decanter centrifuge, desander, desilter, vacuum degasser, sand pump, mud cleaner, agitator, mud tank, and horizontal centrifuge and disc centrifuge with a large length-diameter ratio, at a high rotating speed and in full automatic control and used in environmental protection, chemical industry, fruit juice and some other industries.