It is necessary to carry out regular efficiency analysis of drilling mud solids control system in drilling site in order to improve drilling fluids properties and better manage the cost. Generally speaking, the aggregate drilling fluids consumption in a well counts 10 to 20 times the volume of a borehole. That means 90% of the expenses are poured into volume and property maintenance of the additionally concocted 90% drilling fluids. However, it can give birth to remarkable economic benefits if solids control equipment is promptly adjusted to remove more “harmful solid phase”.
 

The efficiency analyses conducted on different equipment show that, theoretically speaking, all of them should have been taken away, but in fact only 80-85% or even less have been removed and 90% would have been the best. It is also shown that, by a deeper study into separation capability of various solids control equipment and size distribution in such useful solid phase as barite and harmful solid phase(low-density particles), mud desander and oilfield desilter are not ideal choices to treat barite-weighted drilling fluids, but the drilling mud decanter centrifuge can decrease the low solid phase gradually accumulated in any type of drilling fluids.

“Communique on Drilling Fluids Treatment Equipment” well elaborates the standard application methods and analysis approaches of various solids control equipment, for example. drilling shale shaker ought to be analyzed in terms of its solids removal rate, cuttings removal rate and drilling fluids loss ratio; desander, desilter and drilling fluids decanter centrifuge ought to be analyzed in terms of solids removal percentage, low-density solid phase discharge velocity and barite discharge speed; the decanter centrifuge also need to be calculated on its barite recovery percentage, etc.

Besides, another formula can also work on the calculation of solids control efficiency, such as, if the figures like, dilution volume per unit time, the formation volume and the max. cuttings content got from solid phase analysis are given, we can have the efficiency rate of oilfield solids control equipment.