Shale shaker is always applied as first-stage equipment in drilling fluids handling process. It is a device with shaker screens. Recent development in screening equipment have made possible the use of extremely fine screens. This allows the removal of most of the solids before their size has been reduced to the size of the API barite particles. API specifications for commercial barium sulfate require that 97% of the particles pass through a 200-mesh screen. A 200-mesh screen has 200 openings per inch. Particles less than about 74μm in diameter will pass through a typical 200 mesh screen. Screen sizes below 200 mesh cannot be used with weighted muds because of the cost of replacing the API barite discarded with the solids.

The natural settling rate of drilled solids is much too low for settling pits to be effective. Thus, devices such as hydrocyclones and decanter centrifuges are used to increase the gravitational force acting on the particles. At present, both the hydro-cyclones and high-speed centrifuges are being used as forced settling devices with unweighted mud. The removal of fine active clay particles can be facilitated by adding chemicals that cause the clay particles to flocculate or agglomerate into larger units. Once the agglomeration of the clay particles has been achieved, separation can be accomplished more easily by settling.
 

The concentration of the solids not removed by screening or forced settling can be reduced by dilution. Because of the limited storage capacity of the active mud pits, dilution requires discarding some of the mud to the reserve pit. Dilution, thus, requires discarding a portion of the additives used in previous mud treatments. In addition, the new mud created by the addition of water must be brought to the desired density and chemical content. To keep the cost of dilution low, the mud volume should be kept small. Old mud should be discarded before dilution rather than after dilution. Also, the cost of a large one-step dilution is less than frequent small dilutions. The cost of dilution increases rapidly with mud density.

Every step of solids control system is essential and important. Therefore, the quality of device for the every stage is considered vitally important for the whole system. KOSUN can provides high-performance solids control equipment with abundant industrial experience after 21 years' development.