Drilling Rigs

25. SOLIDS REMOVAL SYSTEM

INDEX

25.1 BENEFITS OF SOLIDS REMOVAL

25.2 DRILLED SOLIDS
25.3 EQUIPMENT
25.4 SHALE SHAKER
- Deck and Screens
- Vibration Motion
- Most common models
- Screen
- Dimensions of Solids Removed
25.5 DESANDER & DESILTER
25.6 MUD CLEANER
25.7 DECANTATION CENTRIFUGE

25.1 BENEFITS OF SOLIDS REMOVAL

- Solid Removal
A large quantity of solids in the mud can cause many problems during drilling. It also results in
high mud treatment costs trying to mantain the shape of the mud.

The purpose of solid removal equipment is to contain the percentage of solid in the mud at an
acceptable level.

Solids Removal Systems - Offshore Rig Solids Removal Systems

Small Land Rig

- Benefits

Benefits of a low solids content are:

- Higher rate of penetration during drilling
- Increased bit life
- Reduced mud control costs
- Reduced mud pump maintenance costs
- Reduced possibility of stuck pipe
- More regular hole geometry
- Reduced need for mud dilution
- Increased cement efficiency
- Reduced BHA torque

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25.2 DRILLED SOLIDS

Drilling mud contains two kinds of solids:

- Commercial solids
- Drilled solids

- Solids Removal by Type of System

Solids Removal Systems Solids Removal by Type of System

- Commercial solids

Commercial solids (with the exception of barite and lost circulation material), have dimension
below of 1 micron.
Distribution of Solids in the Mud

- Drilled solids

Drilled solids have varying dimensions, depending on bit and used mud transportation.

They can be between 1 and 2000 micron, classified as follows:

<= 440 big size cuttings

between 74 and 440 sand
between 2 and 74 silt
between 0.5 and 74 clay

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25.3 EQUIPMENT

- Mechanical removal
- Solids control equipment
- Equipment Lay out

- Mechanical removal
Mechanical removal of solids is achieved by 2 forces:
- Vibration
- Centrifugal force

Equipment Sizing

- Solids control equipment

Solids control equipment used on a

Drilling Rigs includes:

- SHALE SHAKER
- DESANDER
- DESILTER
- MUD CLEANER
- DECANTER CENTRIFUGE Scheme of a MODERN SYSTEM of SOLIDS REMOVAL

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- Equipment Lay out

This equipment is used in

succession because each of them is
engineered to remove solids of a
progressively smaller size.

At the moment the trend is to equip

new rigs with shale shakers that are
more efficient and also function as a
desander, desilter and sometimes
as a mud cleaner.
Schematic of SOLIDS REMOVAL SYSTEM

25.4 SHALE SHAKER

The Shale shaker is the first stage of solids removal as the mud comes from the well.
Its treatment capability is determinated by the size of screen and to the mud characteristics.

Nomenclature API Standard

Shale Shaker

- Cascade system

Drilling Rigs have more than one shale shakers

installed in parallel in order to better distribute
the mud flow coming from the well.

Shale shakers can also be installed in

succession (cascade system) in order to get a
first cuttings removal (bigger sizes) on the
primary and a following one of smaller cuttings
on the secondary.
Cascade system

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Deck and Screens

- HORIZONTAL BASKET
- SLOPING BASKET

Horizontal Basket Sloping Basket

- Vibration Motion

- Sequence

- Linear Motion

- Circular Motion

- Elliptical & Circular

- Steps Motion

Steps Motion

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Linear Motion

Circular Motion Elliptical & Circular Motion

- "G" Factor

Shale shaker differentiates also by their vibration capability that is due to engine the Round Per
Minute and therefore, of rack's speed; more high it is, more is the mud thrown force on the shale
shaker screens.

Empirically, this force is identified by g factor that is calculated as follows:

Run of vibration motion (inc x RPM 2)

"g" factor =
70400

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Most common models

- BRANDT RIGTECH LCM Model

- BRANDT RIGTECH ATL Models
- DERRICK Models
- SWACO

- BRANDT RIGTECH LCM Model

LCM-2D(sm) Cascade Screen Separator Flow Rates for the LCM-2D (sm) Cascade

Contour Plus m(sm)

- BRANDT RIGTECH ATL Models

- ATL-CS (sm) Cascade Screen Separator - ATL-1000 (sm) Cascade Screen Separator

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- DERRICK Models

- Model 58 Flo-Line Cleaner Plus Model FLC 2000 3-panel

- Model FLC 513

- SWACO

- Swaco Adjustable Line Shaker - Swaco Adjustable Cascade System

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Screen

- Screen weaves

Plain Square Weave Rectangular Opening

- Plain Dutch Weave - Twilled Square Weave

- Screen mesh

Screen mesh is the number of meshes per inch;

that correspond to number of mesh per inch.
API Specification has standardizide a different
way to identify the shale shaker's screens.

For instance, 80 x 80 (178 x 178, 31,4) means

that the screen has 80 mesh of square shape
with a square light of 178 micron and a passing
light of 31,4% on the total area.

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- Screen types

DERRICK PIRAMIDAL SCREENS

- Pyramid Screen 0.8" Corrugation height

- Pyramid Plus Screen 1.5" Corrugation height

CHARACTERISTICS

- Increase Surface area

- Enhanced Permeability

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Dimensions of Solids Removed

- Comparison of field applications

Dimensions of Solids Removed By Each System (Brandt)

25.5 DESANDER & DESILTER

A battery (bank) of hydro-cyclones is able to remove solids from mud not weighted with barite as
follows:
- DESANDER Above 74 microns (sand)
- DESILTER Fine solids (silt)

Desander Examples

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- Cyclone

Mud is sent to a cyclone through a dedicated

centrifuge engineered specifically for this
purpose.

The drilling mud must enter the cyclone

tangentially with high flow and pressure.

Here it acquires high velocity.

Centrifugal force separates the solid phase

from the liquid phase, sending the solids to
the lower exit (Underflow) and the liquids to
the upper exit (Overflow).

- Underflow discharge

Underflow discharge is a good indicator

of current operation of the system:

- Spray discharge: proper operation

- Rope discharge: improper operation

- Cone Size and Use

The wide part of a cone can

vary between 4 to 12 inches.
Cones are usually installed in
parallel to adequately treat the
mud.

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- DESANDER

- Desander cones
A desander uses cones with a diameter
of 8 to 12 inches.

The bigger the cone the larger the

solids discharged.

- Particle Removal
Desilter remove particles in the range of
15 micron.

Desander: Particle Removal

- DESILTER

- Desilter cones
A desilter uses cones with a
diameter of 4 to 5 inches, and can
use from 8 to 20 depending on the
volume of mud flow to be treated.

- Particle Removal
Desilter remove particles in the
range of 15 micron.

Desilter: Particle Removal

- Desilter Operation

Proper fluid balance between pit compartments is very important.

Desilter Operation: WRONG Desilter Operation: RIGHT

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25.6 MUD CLEANER

- Functionality

The mud cleaner is a

combination
shaleshaker/desilter that
was introduced in the early
'70s.

It was invented out of the

necessity to reduce the
volume of weighted solids
(barite) discharged from
the mud.

A 200 Mesh screen

removes drilled solids but
returns mud additives and
liquids back into the
circulating system.

- Hydrocyclones

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- Screen particle removal

25.7 DECANTATION CENTRIFUGE

- Functioning principles
The centrifuge consists of a conical body (BOWL) and a channel with helicoidally shape
(CONVEYOR)

They both rotate coaxially in the same direction, but the conveyor rotates a slightly lower angular
speed than the bowl.

Mud to be treated is introduced into the centrifuge through a mono type pump.

The rotation in the bowl separates the solids from the liquids by centrifugal force. The conveyor
transports the solids discharged while the liquids go back in the mud circulating system through
the colloidal liquid discharge.

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Decanting Centrifuges Scheme

Scheme of Succession Centrifuges

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26. DEGASSER

INDEX
26.1 FUNCTIONS
26.2 PRINCIPLES
26.3 DEGASSER TYPES
- BURGESS
- SWACO
- WELLCO & BRANDT
- DEGASSER SYSTEM for H2S PRESENCE
26.4 INSTALLATION CRITERIA

26.1 FUNCTIONS

The purpose of degassers is to remove air

or gas entrained in the mud system in order
to insure that the proper density mud is
recirculated down the drill pipe.

If the gas or air is not removed, the mud

weight measured in the pits may be
misleading. This will result in the addition of
unnecessary amounts of weight material
thereby giving true mud densities down the
hole that are more than desired.

Gas contamination could result from:

- 1. Drilling Gas - 3. Connection Gas

- 2. Trip Gas - 4. Well testing

26.2 PRINCIPLES

All degasser types operate on: turbulence and vacuum.

- TURBULENCE - VACUUM
Mud flows in thin sheets over a series of baffles Vacuum increases gas speed through the
arranged inside a vertical tank. The resulting vertical vent line.
turbulent flow breaks out large gas bubbles which
then rise through a vent line.

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26.3 DEGASSER TYPES

- MANUFACTURERS

The most common oil field degasser manufacturers are:

- BURGESS
- SWACO
- WELLCO & BRANDT

- BURGESS

Gas-cut mud is drawn into the rotor body by

vacuum, then sprayed radially and impacted
against a urethane ring, creating adequate
turbulence for air and other gas removal.

Gasses are removed by a vacuum blower.

The degasser mud is evacuated by a center

vented centrifugal pump which prohibits gas
locking.

The mud is pumped to the degasser mud

tank through a reinforced hose.

Burgess Degasser - Scheme

- SWACO

This degasser is a horizontal tank with long downward sloping baffles inside. Mud flows down
these baffles in a thin layer, releasing the gas bubbles.

A vacuum pump is used to remove the gas from the tank and dispose it a safe distance from the
rig.

The vacuum tank also reduces the internal tank pressure, drawing fluid into the tank and
increasing the gas bubble size, improving removal efficiency.

The jet pump discharges the degassed mud from the tank and returns it to the next downstream
compartment. There is no re-mixing of released gas and fluid.

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- WELLCO & BRANDT

Vacuum degassers (Wellco & Brandt) consist of a vacuum generating tank which, in effect, pulls
the gas out of the mud due to gravity segregation.

Some degassers have a small pump to create a vacuum while others (see picture) use the
centrifugal mixing pumps to create a vacuum.

It's important to note that most degassers, regardless of type, have a minimum required mud
throughput for efficient operation.

Wellco-Brandt Degasser

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- DEGASSER SYSTEM for H2S PRESENCE

This is a mix between a Swaco degasser and a mud gas separator working in series. It's used to
control a kick in the presence of H2S.

The mud gas separator receives the flow of mud and gas heads from the choke manifold. The
free gas is routed to the flare line.

The remaining entrained gas and mud is discharged from the bottom of the separator to a modified
degasser.

The check valve ensures that no mud from the separator can bypass the degasser and flow into
the active mud system.

Degasser for H2S presence

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26.4 INSTALLATION CRITERIA

- Incorrect Example

Faulty degasser operation due to both high

and low opening between degaser suction
and discharge compartments.

- Correct Example

Proper degaser operation with high

opening between degaser suction and
discharge compartments.

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