The traditional drilling mud solids control equipment includes shale shaker, mud cleaner, desander, desilter, decanter centrifuge, etc…Each of them has a certain cut point (separation point). They are selected and used based on their cut point.
Solids control shale shaker is the basic and pre-separation equipment of drilling mud system. Its cut point is up to the screen opening utilizing on the unit. In order to make sure the accurate and correct separation result, API RP13 complied screens are requested to used in the drilling mud shale shaker. It means all API RP13C screens with the same API size from various screens manufacturers are all interchangeable. They can all reach the same cut point.
But for various screen suppliers, their screen quality and the mud flow rate varies based on the materials and the designations. There are API screens with sizes from PI 10 to API 325, the cut points is from 2mm to 40 microns. The finer the API size, the less the mud flow rate.
Screen shale shaker is the D100 separator. It means 100% particles above the cut point will be removed.
10 inch hydro cyclones are the post popular used in oil and gas drilling for desander. It is also called as desander cone. Its separation point is 47 microns. In some cases, 12 inch hydro cyclones are used for bigger mud handling capacity.
4 inch hydro cyclones are the post popular used in oil and gas drilling for desilter. It is also called as desilter cone. Its separation point is 25 microns. In some cases, 5 inch hydro cyclones are used for bigger mud handling capacity. The smaller size 2inch desilter cone were used in some special drilling waste management situations.
Hydro cyclones are not D100 separator. Hence the underflow shale shaker is suggested to used under the hydro cyclones to further clean the solids discharge from them.
Decanter centrifuge is a high standard and precision separator. Its cut point can up to 2 ~ 5 microns. It is used to reduce the mud weight.