Drilling fluid agitators are the important auxiliary equipment used in drilling mud system. For all fluids process system in oil and gas, in HDD, in TBM, in the CBM, slurry separation and so on

Drilling fluid agitators summary

It is mainly used to mix or agitate drilling fluid and maintain the prosperity of material in tank. Keep the necessary solids suspending for better process result

Drilling fluid agitators

There are different types of mud agitators. According to the installation way, there are horizontal and vertical type; according to the gear box, there are worm and worm wheel geared and helical bevel geared; according to the connection way, there are direct connection type and the coupled type; according to motor power, there are wide range of types with 0.5kw, 1kw, 1.5kw, 5.5kw, 7.5kw, 11kw, 15kw, 18.5kw, 22kw, and so on

How to install the mud agitators

If we install mud agitators on mud tank, the basic condition is 3 meters per set. Before installing agitator the equipment had been selected according to tank size (height and width). So we just need to install them as the engineer requested

drilling mud agitators

Some agitators supplied without mounting plate, while some are with. This configuration is defined by users' requirement. If there is mounting base, the agitators are easy to fix on mud tank top. Usually, when we replace existing used agitators, we'll suggest such design for easy placing.

Mud agitators available at AIPU

Aipu mud agitators are APMA series. They can be designed with explosion proof motor or common motor. They can be lateral type or vertical type. They can be helical worm and wheel geared or helical bevel geared.

The popular models are APMA7.5, and APMA11. Compared with helical bevel geared agitator, the helical worm and wheel type are more popular since the lower cost.

However, we kindly suggest the helical bevel geared. It requests less power and produce higher torque. Working performance and reliability is much better.

Please feel free to contact Aipu for any drilling fluid agitators. They can be used in drilling mud process, the oil sludge treatment, the slurry separation and so on.

Drilling mud agitators are popular equipment used in oil drilling fluid system. The are mounted on tank top. Per different tank and mud property, the agitators motor and related parts will be configured different.

Drilling mud agitators shaft

We know mud agitator also called mud mixer. Mud agitator combined with motor and reducer. The auxiliary part to achieve mixture is shaft and impeller.  How to decide shaft length? Usually, our mud tank is square or rectangular one.

Drilling mud agitators

After calculating impeller diameter under special formula, we get impeller 900mm is proper. Then the shaft bottom should be about 360mm away from tank floor. For example, the tank height is about 2100mm. Then shaft total length starts from gear box is 1740mm or 1800mm will be ok

Mud agitators impeller

Many clients would also like to know impeller calculation. How to calculate it? We need to consider tank volume, mud density. TOR, impeller displacement, safety or all related factors. But usually, we have common configuration on impeller based on special theory and practice

Oilfield mud agitator

For example, if the tank sized 10x10x10' and agitate 16ppg mud we'll request an impeller sized 38". Motor is 10HP. However, to make sure the safe and reliable operation we suggest 40" as safety solution. Furthermore, tanks if deeper than 6feet, we suggest canted impeller blade for better performance than flat ones

All different mud agitators

Drilling mud agitators widely used in various application. Reserve mud tank, solids removal use, addition use, suction tank, pill tank, and so on

Related agitators will be configured per actual demand. From power, impeller type, size, agitator installation way, and so on. Then the reducer type, reduction ratio and so on

Please come to Aipu solids control to find more detail. Not only on drilling mud mixer, but also other solids control equipment. High quality product at reasonable price always

Mud mixing hoppers also refer to mud blending hopper. They are usually operated together with centrifugal pump. The function is achieved via connection by pipelines and valves.

Mud mixing hoppers

Mud mixing hopper in drilling mud solids control system can be venturi type and swirl type. The popular one is the Venturi hopper. Mud mixing and blending system that utilizes Venturi hopper great power and performance to mix faster, while delivering complete hydration and a more homogeneous, consistent drilling mud that improves drilling and mud mixing efficiency. In addition, mud mixing hopper will reduce overall drilling fluid and mud blending costs by reducing mud mixing product loss through dust recovery and containment.

mud mixing hoppers

Prior to centrifugal pumps use on drilling rigs, the standby reciprocating mud pumps were customarily used to operate the mud hoppers. Mud hoppers are required high-pressure line and connections. From 1950s centrifugal pumps were treated as predominant tool for mud hopper. Another reason of centrifugal pump use in solids control is it does not only mix the mud to be pumped down the bore hole, but also provide the feed pressure and volume required to operate other equipment.

Mud mixing hoppers including both low-pressure and high-pressure. Actually, their working principle is same. Lets take low pressured hopper as example. In low-pressure hopper, drilling fluid velocity is around 10ft/set on the pressure side of the jet nozzle. The pressure line is reduced in size usually from 6 to 2 inches (152 to 51 mm) and exits the jet nozzle at a much higher velocity but lower pressure. The high-velocity jet stream crosses the gap between the educator nozzle and the downstream venturi and creates a partial vacuum within the mixing chamber (or tee). This low-pressure area within the tee, along with gravity, actually draws mud materials from the hopper into the tee and fluid stream. The high-velocity fluid wets and disperses the mud additives into the fluid stream.

Mud hopper installation and operation

As with any piece of equipment, the mud hopper and related equipment must be sized, adjusted, and installed properly to achieve optimum performance.

Once a mud hopper has been selected, the pump, motor, feed line, and discharge line must be designed to allow the proper flow rate at the recommended head. For example, assume that a mud hopper has been selected that requires 550 gpm (2082 lpm) at 75 feet of head (23 m). With this established, feed- and discharge-line sizes would be determined by recommendations from a recognized authoritative source. The friction head would be determined for all lines and connections at 550 gpm and this would be added to the 75 feet of head for the hopper. The next step is to select a pump and impeller that will provide 550 gpm at the total head required. With the pump selected, the motor size can be determined and adjusted for mud weight. If the maximum mud weight to be used is unknown, it is standard practice in most companies to base all calculations on 20 lb/gal mud (2.4 SG).

Feed and discharge lines of the mud hopper should be kept as short as possible. This is dictated by economics (i.e., less power, piping, and smaller pump) as well as operations. The back pressure from the down- stream piping is crucial to effective operations. When the gap is between 1 and 31 8 inches (25.4 to 79.4 mm) for this particular mud hopper, there is very little difference in barite addition rate. When the gap is larger than 3 1 8 inches, the rate of barite addition is reduced significantly. This further illustrates the need to have equipment and piping sized and adjusted properly.

Another important consideration when installing addition equipment is the amount of lift required. If the discharge goes to a tank on a different deck or there are tall tanks and the hopper is on the ground, mixing rates can be reduced. Sack barite addition is reduced by 17% when the lift is increased from 6 feet to 12 feet (1.83 to 3.66 m). If the lift requirements are severe and the pump is undersized, the mixing capabi- lities will suffer.

From the preceding discussion, it is obvious that the mud hopper can be highly efficient, while improper mud mixing hoppers installations can create many problems. Low addition rates lead to increased rig time and operator hours to treat the mud system. If the discharge from the mud hopper is routed into a tank that is not stirred properly, a large quantity of commercial materials could settle, even if the hopper is properly dispersing and wetting the materials. If the addition system is installed, sized, and adjusted properly, there will be a reduction in system maintenance, a decrease in fluid costs, and a decrease in operator hours