Mud tanks are the basic material in solids control system.They are used to contain drilling fluids. As solids control system is a process with certain order or sequence.

Mud tanks in mud system

Firstly, we'd to know the whole procedure of solids control. Mud system including the primary separation, finer separation, recovery, mixing process, reverse, and so on. Then consider the mud system flow rate we'll propose mud tanks size, compartment division.

There are shaker tank, centrifuge tank, trip tank and pill tank, reverse tank, mixing tank. Per different drilling rig, per certain working condition we will configure tanks accordingly.

Mud tanks

Equipment and detail compartment devision

A complete mud system should be able to process particles ranged 5~440microns. Complete line equipment including shale shaker, vacuum degasser, mud cleaner, centrifuge, pumps, agitators. On mud tanks we'll set listed devices on design position for great solid separation

On shaker tank, we'll set up shale shaker or dual tandem shaker. Vacuum degasser will be mounted after shaker. The tank will hold 2 compartment. Then, we'll set mud cleaner and decanter centrifuge on the second tank. On this tank, we'll also mount the centrifugal pump and screw pump as transfer pump to these equipment. Mud agitators will be mounted the desander compartment, desilter compartment, centrifuge compartment.

Then, the trip tank with pill tank. We'll set the trip pump and agitator for tripping and mixing pill to compound drilling mud. Trip pump will transfer the drilling mud to mud pump.

Mud agitators for mud tank

After previous process or separation, we need to compound drilling fluid to meet whole system flow rate. There will be mixing pump and agitators. Then the reserve tanks store cleaned drilling mud or recovered drilling mud. On these mud tanks, we need mud agitators to keep the necessary solids and content suspension.

Different mud tank configuration

In a mud system or a solids control system for drilling there are many flexible factors. Such as the treating capacity, the mud tank size or quantity, the layout, compartment division, and so on. But two things are for sure, one is the whole flow rate come from drilling rig or well depth; another one is basic procedure is from shaker to centrifuge.

Please come to us for your specific drilling mud system. We'll propose you optimal solutions at your budget.

Solids control mud tanks are the tools to holding drilling fluids/mud for well drilling. You may tell "mud tanks are simple items everyone know well about it". Please comment after you reading this post

Solids control mud tanks previous form

Long time ago, mud tanks did not exist but only mud pits. Drilling fluid maintenance cost, clean up & disposal cost as well as the over all cost of boring, can be reduced dramatically when proper solids control techniques are utilized. These facts were recognized in the oil industry in the late 1800’s.

Solids control mud tanks

When open earthen pits we used to separate the cuttings from the borehole. This was accomplished by a series of weirs and settling pits that allowed the solids to naturally settle out by using gravity. The clean mud then flowed into a suction pit to be re-pumped down hole. This was the first solids control technique ever used, and mud pit was the first vessel used to contain drilling fluid

By and by, people innovated tanks to load drilling mud, which provide much convenience for whole solids control even complete drilling project.

Tanks function

Solids control mud tanks are not only able to provide the space to contain the drilling fluids but also hold equipment on tanks surface. Different compartment under equipment will definitely lead different effect and critical function. Including the precipitation, mixing, storage, etc.

Mud tanks configuration

Mud system difference leads various solids control mud tanks configuration. There are many ways to configure your mud tanks below your solids control equipment. The most common practice requires three sections. Under your shale shaker you have the first section known as the sand trap where the mud to be pumped from this section goes through your Desander. This cleaned mud is then dumped into the second section known as a silt tank. The mud is picked up then pumped through your Desilters. The Desilters dumps the cleaned mud into the third section, know as the clean mud or mixing tank. This will be picked up by  the pump to be pumped back into your bore hole.

Combination Desanders/Desilters are common when the volume being pumped is under 500 GPM. The tank separation in this application can be achieved with two sections in the mud tank. A clean section where mud to be mixed and pumped down hole is located. The second section is under the shale shaker where the contaminated mud is picked up and processed by the Desander/Desilter combination

Besides above configuration, the difference also reflects on mud tanks shape. Such as the rectangular tank, circle tank, etc. The mud tanks frame or base design including skid mounted, trailer mounted, etc.