Table Of Content

SHALE SHTSeoclihdnsi qAues and CKoTnetrcohln ology Efor MainmapgreoRvminegnt S and DRILLING FLUID SYSTEMS Gulf Professional Publishing an imprint of Butterworth-Heinemann S H A LE SHSolids ACKontrol EManageRment S and DRILLING FLUID SYSTEMS American Association of Drilling Engineers Shale Shakers and Drilling Fluid Systems Copyright © 1999 by Butterworth-Heinemann. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission of the publisher. Originally published by Gulf Publishing Company, Houston, TX. 10 9 8 7 6 5 43 For information, please contact: Manager of Special Sales Butterworth-Heinemann 225 Wildwood Avenue Woburn, MA 01801-2041 Tel: 781-904-2500 Fax: 781-904-2620 For information on all Butterworth-Heinemann publications available, contact our World Wide Web home page at: http://www.bh.com Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Shale shakers and drilling fluid systems. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-88415-948-5 (acid-free) 1. Shale shakers. 2. Drilling muds. I. Gulf Publishing Company. TN871.27.S53 1999 622'.3381— dc21 99-13067 CIP Printed in the United States of America. Printed on acid-free paper («>). Shale Shakers and Drilling Fluid Systems The following members of the Joint Industry Shaker Technology Committee, individually and collectively, have made contributions to this book: James Andrews Robert Lee Robert Murphy C. S. Adkins, Jr Albert Lew Carter Ness Jason Bradley Walter Liljestrand John Oeffner Bill Cagle Bob Line Bob Palmer Tom Carter Bill Love Nace Peard Roger DeSpain Charles Marshall Elvis Rich Bob DeWolfe Steve Matlock Leon Robinson Robert Dugal Bob McKenzie Tim Sneider Matt Frankl James Merrill Ken Seyffert Charles Grichar Mark Morgan Brad Smolen Jerry Hasten Keith Morton Wiley Steen Ben Hiltl Mike Montgomery Grant Young Michael Kargl Ron Morrison Gordon Lawson Bernard Murphy DISCLAIMER For the purposes of this disclaimer, "committee" is defined as the committee of indus- trial experts sponsored by the American Association of Drilling Engineers who have individually and jointly written and edited the text material. The text material contained herein is defined, for the purposes of this disclaimer, as the "work." The committee makes no warranties, express, implied, or statutory, with respect to the work, including, without limitation, any warranties of merchantability, or fitness for a particular purpose; and/or any warranties of the safety or results of the recommendations contained herein. The committee does not guarantee results or safety. All interpretations used to create the work, and all recommendations based upon such interpretations, are opinions of a group of experts assembled to discuss the inferences from measurements and empirical relationships, and on assumptions, which inferences and assumptions are neither infal- lible nor necessarily the opinion of all of the individual members of the committee, and competent specialist may differ. In addition, such interpretations, recommendations, and descriptions may involve the opinion and judgment of the user of this technology. Any- one using this information has full responsibility for all actions, interpretations, recommendations, and descriptions based upon this work. The committee cannot and does not warrant the accuracy, correctness, or completeness of any action, interpretation, recommendation, or description. Under NO circumstance should any action, interpretation, recommendation, or description be relied upon as the basis for any drilling, comple- tion, well-site activity, production, or any financial decision, or any procedure involving any risk to the safety of any drilling venture, drilling rig, or drilling crews, or any other individual. The user of this technology has full, and complete responsibility for all deci- sions concerning any procedure or information resulting from application of technology described in the work. Any person, company, or other entity using the technology contained in the work agrees that the committee shall have no liability to the user of this technology or to any third party for any ordinary, special, or consequential damages or losses which may arise directly, or indirectly, by reason of using the information contained in the work. Users of this technology shall protect, indemnify, hold harmless, and defend committee from any loss, cost, damage, or expense, including attorneysi fees, arising from any claim asserted against committee that is in any way associated with the matters set forth in this disclaimer. In summary, the technology described in this work is the consensus of a group of experts, but the application of this technology must be done in a professional manner that does not risk safety of personnel or equipment. Suggestions made in this work do not relieve the user from the ultimate responsibility of applying this information in a safe manner. Contents Acknowledgments, xi Preface, xiii P A RT O NE Historical Perspective The Evolution of Solids Separation Devices 6 Index to Archival Composite Catalog Pages 11 P A RT T WO Shale Shakers C H A P T ER O NE Introduction 87 Why Control Drilled Solids? 85 • Filter Cakes 87 • Plastic Viscosity 88 • Wear 88 Carrying Capacity 88 • Drilling Fluid Costs 89 • Waste Management 90 C H A P T ER T WO The Role of Shale Shakers 91 How a Shale Shaker Screens Fluid 92 • Shaker Description 93 Shale Shaker Limits 94 • Shaker Development Summary 96 vii C H A P T ER T H R EE Shale Shaker Design 97 Shapes of Motion 97 • Vibrating Systems 102 • Deck Design 103 "G"-Factor 103 • Power Systems 105 C H A P T ER FOUR Shaker Applications 1O9 Selection of Shale Shakers 109 • Selection of Shaker Screens 109 Cascade Systems 111 • Dryer Shakers 113 • Non-Oilfield Drilling Uses of Shale Shakers 114 C H A P T ER F I VE Shaker User's Guide 115 Installation 115 • Operation 116 • Maintenance 116 General Guidelines 117* Comparison and Analysis of Shale Shaker Performance 117* Conclusions 119 C H A P T ER S IX Shale Shaker Screens 120 Common Screen Cloth Weaves 120 P A RT T H R EE Solids Control Management C H A P T ER S E V EN Solids Control Equipment 139 Suction and Testing Section 139 • Additions Section 140 • Removal Section 141 Piping and Equipment Arrangement 141 • Surface Tanks 142 • Gumbo Removal 143 • Sand Traps 143 • Degassers 143 • Hydrocyclones 143 Mud Cleaners 154 • Centrifuges 155 • Dewatering Unit 162 Removal Section Arrangement 162 viii C H A P T ER E I G HT Dilution 164 Introduction 164 • Effect of Drilled Solids Reaching the Surface 165 • Optimum Removal Efficiencies 167 Determining Removal Efficiencies 167 C H A P T ER NINE Cut Points 170 C H A P T ER T EN Calculating Drilled Solids Concentrations 173 Procedure for Determining Accurate, Low-Gravity Solids 173 Calculation of Barite Discard 176 • Calculating Solids Discard as Whole Drilling Fluid 177 C H A P T ER E L E V EN Centrifugal Pumps 178 Commonly Used Oil Field Pumps 178 • The Centrifugal Pump 179 Centrifugal Pump Performance Curves 184 • Head Losses Through Pipe 187 • Pumping Viscous Liquids 194 • Anatomy of Centrifugal Pumps 196 • Vibration 197 • Summary 198 C H A P T ER T W E L VE Electric Motors 2O1 Voltage 201 • Temperature Considerations 202 • Motor Installation and Troubleshooting 202 • Electric Motor Standards 204 Enclosure and Frame Desginations 204 • Hazardous Locations 210 Specific Motor Applications 213 C H A P T ER T H I R T E EN Solids Dewatering 216 Introduction 216 • Procedure 216 • Polymer Technology 218 Coagulation 219 • Flocculation 220 • Emulsion Polymers 220 Coagulation Concepts and Mechanisms 223 ix