Shale shaker is the act as the first stage solids control equipment. Its performance important to the whole system. If the shale shaker can work well, it can greatly improve the lifetime of next stage equipment.
Shale shaker vibration
Vibration of the shaker basket creates G-forces which help drive shear thinning fluids such as drilling mud through the screens. Vibration also conveys solids off the screens. Most linear motion shakers operate in the range of 3 to 4 G’s to balance throughput with screen life. G-force is a function of vibration frequency (rpm) and stroke length.
Top brand Linear motion shale shaker
But there are alway some misunderstanding on shale shaker performance, it should be avoided :
• “High-Speed” should not be equated with “high performance”.
Laboratory tests indicate that, in the normal operating range for linear motion shale shakers, lower frequency vibration and longer stroke lengths improve throughput capacity. Most linear motion shakers operate at 1200 to 1800 rpm.
• Avoid deck inclinations above 3˚.
High deck angles reduce solids conveyance and increase the risk of grinding soft or friable solids through the screens.
• Shakers are designed to accept either hookstrip or rigid frame screen panels.
Hookstrip screen panels are the most common and are usually cheaper, although cuttings wetness can be a concern due to deck curvature. Flat, rigid frame panels promote even fluid coverage, but can cost more.
• Shakers may have single or tandem screening decks. Single deck shakers offer mechanical simplicity and full access to the screening surface. Single deck shakers may be arranged to process mud sequentially as a “cascading” system to improve performance under high solids loading conditions. Tandem deck shakers offer improved processing capacity under high solids loading conditions when space is limited.
