Instructor /

Solid Control Equipment

Main Components
The solid control system is: The system
responsible for cleaning the mud from
the unwanted solid contaminants.

It’s divided into 2 major groups:

1. Solid separation equipment
 Sand Traps
 Shale Shakers

2. Wet classification equipment

 Desanders
 Desilters
 Centerifuges
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 Solid Control Equipment
Main Components

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 Solid Control Equipment
Main Components – Location
Solids dump or waste treatment

Centrifuge Centrifuge
Flow from
well Shakers

Screened
mud
Degasser

Adjust,
Sand Trap level
control
to pits

A B
Dump/waste
treatment A = Desander
B = Desilter
C Catch
C = Mud
Tank cleaner
Solids dump or waste treatment

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 Solid Control Equipment
Solid Separation Equipment
Shale Shakers
• Shale Shakers are the first gate in the solid control system
• The main function is: To eliminate the solid cuttings from the mud.
• This is done by passing the mud through sets of vibrating screens, allowing the
mud to pass by the G-Force and removing the solid cuttings to the dump.
• Shakers still allow Barite and other additives to remain in the mud.

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 Solid Control Equipment
Solid Separation Equipment
Shaker Screens (more than 75 micron)
• Shaker Screens varies in mesh size and performance depending on:
– Cuttings size
– Mud return flow
– Past experience
• The screen mesh No. is: The number on openings per linear inch.
• Screens have lots of descriptive coding:

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 Solid Control Equipment
Solid Separation Equipment
Sand Traps
• Sand Traps are the second gate in the solid control system, right after the
shakers
• The main function is: To eliminate the sand contamination in the mud.
• This is done by allowing the mud to settle and let the gravity force do its
work, separating the sand grans at the bottom.

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 Summary
• Different separation techniques.
• What is the route of mud in the solid
control equipment
• What is the function of shale shaker?
• Shale shaker screen protection
• Shale shaker overflooding causes
• Sand trap function

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 Questions & Comments

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 Solid Control Equipment
Wet Classification Equipment

MUD
Hydro Cyclones Concept
• Hydro Cyclones are used on the wet Inlet
classification equipment such as:
– De-Sander
– De-Silter

• The Concept is: To use hydraulic pressure on

the cone inlet to create a vortex inside,
allowing the clean mud to move up and the

Wet Cuttings
wet cuttings to drop down due to the G-
Force.

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 Solid Control Equipment
Wet Classification Equipment
De-Sander (63 microns to 2 mm)
• De-Sanders are usually the Third Gate in the
solid control system.

• The main functions are:

– To eliminate the fine sand particles
remaining in the mud.
– Avoid overload in the De-Silter
afterwards.

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 Solid Control Equipment
Wet Classification Equipment
De-Silter (5-60 microns)
• De-Silters are usually the fourth Gate in
the solid control system.

• The main functions are:

– To eliminate the super fine silt
particles remaining in the mud.

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 Solid Control Equipment
Wet Classification Equipment
Mud Cleaner (>74-105 microns)
• A combination of desanders and/or
desilters mounted over a shaker with a
fine mesh screen.

• Remove drilled solids larger than barite.

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 Solid Control Equipment
Wet Classification Equipment
Centrifuge
• Removes fine (44 to 74 microns) and
ultrafine solids (2 to 44 microns)

• It consists of a conical drum that rotates

at 2000 to 4000 rpm

• Have limited processing capacity (50 to

250 gpm) but are useful for processing
weighted drilling fluids and can remove
finer solids than can a hydrocyclone or
shaker screens.

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 Solid Control Equipment
Degasser
Used whenever there is entrained gas in the return
mud!

Vacuum degasser
– Operates by separating gas-cut mud into thin layers
followed by drawing off the gas with a vacuum
pump.
– The thin layers are achieved by flowing the mud
over a series of baffles.

Installation
– Degassers should always take suction from the tank
near the sand trap and discharge to the adjacent
downstream tank.
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 Solid Control Equipment
Degasser

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 Summary
• Hydrocyclones outlets.
• Degaser function

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 Questions & Comments

END

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