![]() The prime duty for the solids control technicians is to maintain the solids control equipment in good working order. This task is mostly performed by the solids control technicians. Using the excavator method explained above, the unloading of 50 barrels of drill cuttings from the half round can take as long as two hours. Add in the cost for the day and night manpower and the real cost for a single excavator can be as much as $1800/day. The excavators are usually rented for this duty and the equipment charges can range from $200-300/day. The drilling cuttings deposited in the half round tank and are typically removed with an excavator that must move the contents of the waste bin or roll-off box. One of the most expensive and troubling issues with drilling operations is the handling, processing, and circulation of drilling mud along with disposing of the unwanted drill cuttings. The Problems Associated With Current Methods of Processing Drill Cuttings The fluid will dehydrate and may become too thick or viscous to pump so solids control and dilution are important to the entire drilling process. As the size of the drill cuttings gets smaller the surface area expands exponentially which can cause rheological property problems with the fluid. The drill cuttings contain a layer of drilling fluid on the surface of the cuttings. The drilling fluid is further cleaned with the hydro-cyclones and centrifuges and is pumped back to the mixing area of the mud tanks where the process repeats. Table salt is around 100 microns, so these are fine cuttings that are deposited into the half-round or cuttings catch tank. Shale shakers are equipped with fine screens that separate drill cutting particles as fine as 50-74 microns. The fluid rises through the blowout preventers and down the flowline to the shale shakers. The fluid imparts a thin, tough layer on the inside of the hole to protect against fluid loss which can cause differential sticking. The bit is cooled by the fluid and moves up the space between the pipe and the hole which is called the annulus. The fluid is charged into high-pressure mud pumps which pump the drilling mud down the drill string and out through the bit nozzles cleaning the hole and lubricating the drill bit so the bit can cut efficiently through the formation. Commercial barite or other weighting agents are added to control the hydrostatic pressure exuded on the bottom of the well which controls formation pressures preventing fluid or gas intrusion into the wellbore. ![]() The drilling fluid is prepared to control fluid loss to the formation by the addition of chemicals or mineral agents. The circuit includes the mixing of the drilling fluid in the rig tanks. Solids control equipment including shakers, hydro-cyclones, and centrifuges are utilized to clean the drill cuttings from the drilling fluid, which then allows it to be reused and recirculated. Solids Control Equipment Used in Drilling Operations ![]()
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