Solids control is a technique used in a drilling rig to separate the solids in the drilling fluids that are crushed by the drill bits and carried out of the well surface. Normally, a solids control system contains five stages: the mud tank, oilfield shale shaker, vacuum degasser, desander, desilter, and centrifuge. The shale shaker is used to separate big solids with diameter above 75μm, the desander treats solids from 45-74μm, and the desilter segregates solids between 15-44μm. Sometimes the desander and desilter are combined as one highly efficient mud cleaner. When air enters the drilling fluids, a vacuum degasser is used to separate the air. If no air is found in the mud, the degasser will work as a big agitator. All these stages are mounted on the top of the mud tank. After separating the solids, the clean mud can be pumped into the borehole again.
 

Drilling Mud Solids Control System Effect

The solids control system will separate unuseful drilling cuttings and other solids among drilling fluids. It will correct drilling mud property and keep the drilling fluids performance good. Solids control effect to well drilling also includes holding proper gravity, density, weight, etc. Good solids control to well drilling will produce good quality drilling fluids during whole well drilling. The good drilling fluids will influence good drilling greatly. Use good drilling fluids, the well drilling will be fast and efficient, the drilling cost will be less than those bad solids control well drilling. During whole drilling mud system, we’ll get good and safe drilling condition decrease and even prevent blowout danger. So nowadays we take solids control as rather essential part for oil and gas well drilling, geothermal well drilling, CSM exploration, etc.

How does drilling solids control system achieve its recirculation function?

1. Shale shaker will filter particles larger than 74μm approximately, the hydrocyclone separators or mud cleaner will get rid of solids larger than 15μm or the range is 15~74μm. Another issue is the bottom shaker screen mesh with 1st stage shale shaker.

2. The decanter centrifuge can process weighted and unweighted drilling fluids to make drilling fluids cleaner for next drilling mud circulation.

3. The mud agitator, actually, is auxiliary equipment. It will keep necessary solids suspend among drilling mud, which gives drilling fluids even weight, density and viscosity. The vacuum degasser is also similar with mud agitator. It is much larger than agitator but also can get rid of small amount of invading gases.

4.The mud mixing pump is another kind of equipment to mix or compound drilling fluids. It provides sufficient good property drilling mud to ensure drilling fluids will recalculate successfully.