Jet Hopper

The TR jet hopper is a Venturi-style mixing hopper designed to introduce dry additives into an active drilling fluid system. A high-velocity fluid jet draws dry materials into the mixing chamber and blends them with the circulating mud.

Barite, bentonite, salt and other drilling fluid additives are fed through the hopper and blended with circulating mud before the fluid flows back to the tank. The process helps adjust mud density, viscosity and pH.

The jet hopper is also known as a mud mixing hopper, Venturi hopper, jet mixing hopper, feeding hopper or weighting hopper.

Jet Hopper Structure

The flow path is simple. Drilling fluid enters through the inlet reducer and jet nozzle. Dry additives enter the tee mixing chamber, combine with the fluid stream, and pass through the Venturi tube.

Main components:

• Inlet reducing connection

• Jet nozzle

• Tee mixing chamber

• Venturi tube

• Hopper

• Butterfly valve

The jet nozzle is the main wear item. When it wears, it can be replaced separately without replacing the hopper. The butterfly valve controls additive feeding and shuts off the hopper when needed.

The compact body fits into existing mud tank, pump and piping layouts.

Advantages of Mud Hopper

1. Fast Dry Additive Induction. Draws barite, bentonite, salt and other dry additives into the fluid stream.

2. Uniform Dispersion. Additives are wetted and dispersed before the fluid returns to the mud tank.

3. Replaceable wear-resistant nozzle. Erosion from continuous mixing is confined to the nozzle, which can be swapped out on its own.

4. Pump Compatibility. Works with centrifugal sand pumps or shear pumps, depending on the mixing duty.

5. Flexible Mounting. Supports high-level and low-level installation.

Working Principle

A centrifugal pump or shear pump feeds drilling fluid to the jet nozzle under pressure. The high-velocity jet draws dry additives from the hopper into the tee mixing chamber. 

The mixed fluid passes through the Venturi tube and flows back into the mud system.

TR Jet Hopper Technical Specifications

Applications

The TR jet hopper is used for drilling fluid preparation, weighting and adjustment in oil and gas and other drilling operations. It integrates with mud mixing and solids control systems.

Typical applications:

• Oil and gas drilling

• Horizontal directional drilling (HDD)

• CBM drilling

• Geothermal drilling

Common additives include barite, bentonite, salt and drilling fluid chemical additives.

Pump Matching

An external supply pump provides the flow that powers the Venturi action.

• Centrifugal sand pump. Commonly used to supply circulating fluid for mud weighting and additive mixing.

• Shear pump. Used when additive mixing needs stronger shear action.

TR supplies jet hoppers as standalone units or as part of a complete mud mixing system with the appropriate pump and piping.

Jet Hopper Selection Guide

Choose a jet hopper by target flow rate, pump operating conditions, inlet size, hopper dimensions and site layout constraints.

The TRSL150 series has a DN150 inlet and a 600 × 600 mm hopper. The TRSL100 model uses a DN100 inlet and a 500 × 500 mm hopper. Match the model to your pump, piping and target mud flow.

Installation height matters:

• High mounting (above the mud tank): lifting gear may be needed to load bulk additives.

• Low mounting: discharge piping must slope back to the tank to prevent overflow.

When you request a quote, tell us your required flow rate, working pressure, pipe size, available installation space, additive loading method and preferred mounting arrangement.

TR Mud Hopper Manufacturer

TR Solids Control manufactures jet hoppers in Xi'an, China. Our product range also includes shale shakers, mud cleaners, drilling fluid centrifuges, screw pumps, centrifugal pumps and shear pumps.

TR maintains an ISO 9001 quality management system and holds API Q1 certification.