Drilling Mud Five-stage Solids Control

Aug 14, 2013

You may have heard about the drilling mud five-stage solids control system. However, what is exactly the drilling mud five-stage solids control system? Here, KOSUN can explain this for you.

First Stage of Solids Control System

Shale shaker is widely known as a solids control equipments used in drilling projects. It is a very basic equipment that could separate the drilling cutting more than 250 μm by fine mesh screens. During this stage, actually, the solids control and purification happen at the same time. Just as its name implies, solids control is separate the solids from the fluids, while the drilling cutting and other large size impurities being separated, the drilling mud is purified.

shale shaker


Second Stage of Solids Control System

A  vacuum degasser can be used as the second stage purification equipment. In this stage, there is no solids separated from the drilling mud, just the invasive air is removed. Why do we have to remove the air from the drilling mud? Invaded air can reduce the specific gravity of the mud and make the centrifugal pump work with low efficiency.

Third Stage of Solids Control System

After being treated by vacuum degasser, drilling mud is fed into desander by centrifugal pump. The main parts of a desander are the hydrocyclones. Desander cones can remove the solid particles of 45μm.

Fourth Stage of Solids Control System

Based on the same working principle with desander, desilter cones can separate the particles of 16μm. Desander differs desilter by the size of hydrocyclone.

Fifth Stage of Solids Control System

Decanter Centrifuge
You will see this equipment in large mud system for oil & gas drilling. Decanting centrifuge is the leading role in this stage. By centrifugal sedimentation principle, it delivers high fluid-recovery rates and efficient solids control to significantly reduce the costs of fluids concoction and disposal.
KOSUN has been providing a complete line of solids control equipment for the oilfield industry and the environmental industry for over 20 years. KOSUN can provide customers with several series as oil & gas drilling solids control equipment, centrifuges, drilling waste management equipment, etc.