Drilling fluids solids control equipment is the powerful guarantee to maintain the high performance of drilling fluids which is the precondition to avoid downhole accident, protect reservoir, increase drilling efficiency and reduce drilling cost. Solids control equipment is indispensable no matter for large skid-mounted drilling rig or light mobile drilling rig. For this reason, the performance of solids control equipment which is directly related to its design, significantly affect the drilling engineering quality.

Drilling fluid maintenance cost, clean-up, and disposal cost as well as the overall cost of boring can be reduced dramatically when proper solids control techniques are utilized. These facts were recognized in the oil industry in the late 19th century when open earthen pits were used to separate the cuttings from the borehole. This was accomplished by a series of weirs and settling pits that allowed the solids to naturally settle out by using gravity. The clean mud then flowed into a suction pit to be re-pumped down the hole. This was the first solids control technique ever used. The next innovation in solids control came when the shale shaker was introduced in the early 1930s for the oil industry. The shale shakers were derived from technology used in the mining industry. The shale shaker remains today the primary piece of solids control equipment utilized in the industry.
 

KOSUN Solids Control System
 

Another machine borrowed from the mining industry in the 1930s was the cone classifier or hydrocyclone. The basic principle of this device involves the centripetal forces brought about by the high velocity of the drilling fluids spinning in the cone, forcing the larger and heavier solids to settle outward and toward the cyclone wall or downward and toward the underflow solids discharge. Together with the shale shaker, hydrocyclones desander and desilter have become an integral part of today’s solids control system. In an addition to shakers and hydrocyclones, the use of a high-speed drilling fluids centrifuge has significantly contributed to the ability of a drilling operation to reduce the amount of mud to be built and diesel/barite additions to maintain optimum low and high gravity solids proportions.

Recent advances in solids control include the creation of a closed loop system which allows for increased environmental control and reduction in the potential for spills of drilling fluids. Several US states have either passed or are considering the implementation of closed loop systems, particularly for hydro-fracturing operations.

The most famous solids control system manufactuer are almost from US, the top 4 are: Derrick Equipment Company, MI Swaco Solids Control Company, NOV Brandt Solids Control Company and Discovery Group USA.

In China, KOSUN is the pioneer and leader in the drilling fluid solids control and professional drilling waste management, we have obtained abundant industrial experience after 21-year development, we always insist on manufacturing high quality solids control equipment for oilfield.