Drilling Fluids Technology

Section 13

Solids Control
Overview
Sources and sizes of solids
Mechanical solids-removal equipment
 Screen devices
 Centrifugal separation devices
Dilution
Efficiency of solids-control equipment

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Overview
Process of controlling the buildup of undesirable solids in a
mud system.
Buildup detrimental to drilling fluid performance and the
drilling process.
Effects of (low-gravity) solids buildup:
 Difficult to control Rheological properties
 Difficult to control filtration properties
 Decrease Penetration rates and
 Decrease of bit life
 Increase of hole problems
Ideal to remove all drill solids from drilling fluid.
Low-gravity solids < 6% by volume.
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Sources and Sizes of Solids

Two primary sources of solids:

 chemical additives
 formation cuttings

Cuttings not removed are ground into smaller and smaller

particles that become more difficult to remove
Most formation solids can be removed by mechanical
means at the surface.

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Sources and Sizes of Solids

Small particles are more difficult to remove and have a

greater effect on drilling fluid properties than large
particles.

The particle size of drilled solids incorporated into drilling

fluid can range from 1 to 250 microns

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Types and Sizes of Solids

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Mechanical Solids-removal Equipment

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Screen Designs

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Separation Potential

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Centrifugal Separation Devices

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Centrifugal Separation Devices (cont.)

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Centrifugal Separation Devices (cont.)

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Centrifugal Separation Devices (cont.)

Desanders: remove particles in the range of 40 microns (with 6-

inch cones).
Desilters: remove particles between 6 and 40 microns (4-inch or
smaller cones)
Mud cleaner: combination of a desilter and a screen device.

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Dilution

Dilution is the addition of base fluid to a mud system to:

 Reduce concentration of solids left by mechanical
 solids-removal equipment
 Replenish liquids lost when using
 mechanical solids-control equipment

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Efficiency of Solids-control Equipment

Efficiency of the solids control equipment can be
considered in terms of:
 Efficiency of drill-solids removal, and,
 Efficiency of liquid conservation
Solids-removal efficiency is defined as the percent of the
drill solids removed from the active mud system by
methods other than dilution or dumping.
The discharge is assumed to consist of whole mud and
drill solids. The fraction of whole mud in the discharge
indicates the degree of liquid conservation.

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Efficiency of Solids-control Equipment (cont)

The API has published methods for calculating both the

efficiency and the cost effectiveness of solids-control
equipment:
 API method for determining removal performance
 API method for determining cost effectiveness

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End of this
Section

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