Energy-Saving Mud Recycling System: How Much Can You Save?

In projects such as oil drilling, horizontal directional drilling (HDD), and pile foundation construction, the efficiency of drilling fluid recycling is crucial for construction costs, environmental compliance, and operational efficiency. Traditional mud treatment model has drawbacks such as high energy consumption, incomplete recycling rate, and environmental pollution from waste mud discharge. However, the emergence of energy-saving and consumption-reducing mud recycling systems has effectively addressed this issue. TR Solids Control, as 25-year manufacturer specializing in solid control in the field, focuses on the research and production of various solid control equipment. With energy-saving, efficient, and environmentally friendly mud recycling systems, it provides one-stop solid control solutions for global engineering customers, achieving green and low-carbon transformation.

Where Does the Energy-Saving Mud Recycling System Save Costs?

Simply put, mud recycling system takes the dirty drilling fluid returning from the wellhead, separates it through multiple stages, recovers the reusable liquid phase, and concentrates the useless solids for proper disposal. The mud reuse rate can be increased to over 85%, directly reducing the supplement of fresh mud by 40%. With less waste mud, the cost of transportation and disposal naturally decreases.

More importantly, many regions now require that waste mud cannot be discharged directly onto the ground. The system can press the water content of the mud cake below 60%, which can be directly made into building materials. This is not only about saving money, but also about compliance and peace of mind.

Combining the actual needs of the industry, TR Solids Control has integrated shale shaker, desander, desilter, centrifuge, vacuum degasser and other solids control equipment into complete solids control system, forming hierarchical purification and closed-loop circulation treatment system to achieve dual improvement in mud recycling and energy consumption control.

How Does Solids Control System Work, And Where Are the Savings?

The process of the solids control system usually proceeds step by step: first, the shale shaker intercepts large-grain cuttings, then the desander and desilter deal with medium-sized particles, and the centrifuge recovers the invisible fine solids. Each stage has its own function; when coordinated properly, the resulting mud is clean and usable, ensuring stable drilling efficiency.

• In terms of energy saving, the system is equipped with an intelligent frequency conversion control function, which can automatically adjust the operating power according to the mud solid content and processing capacity, avoiding invalid energy consumption and saving more than 30% energy compared with traditional systems. The equipment components adopt wear-resistant polyurethane materials and high-efficiency energy-saving motors to reduce wear and power consumption.

• In terms of consumption reduction, the system adopts the principle of "hierarchical treatment and physical separation". It removes large-grain drill cuttings above 74 microns through the shale shaker, sequentially separates medium and fine particles of 40-74 microns and 15-40 microns through the desander and desilter, and then removes ultra-fine particles of 2-7 microns by the centrifuge. It is equipped with a vacuum degasser to remove harmful gases, realizing in-depth purification and recycling of mud.

The entire system has mud recovery rate of over 95%, which can greatly reduce the amount of new mud preparation and waste mud transportation. It not only reduces the consumption of raw materials such as bentonite and clean water, but also avoids the environmental pressure caused by waste mud discharge, effectively controlling the comprehensive operation cost.

What Advantages Does TR Solids Control Have?

Xi'an Tianrui Petroleum Machinery Equipment Co., Ltd. (TR Solids Control) was founded in 2010, focusing on R&D, production, and sales of solids control equipment.  The products have passed the American Petroleum Institute (API) certification, and is material supplier of CNPC. It has successively won the titles of "Contract Abiding and Trustworthy Unit" and "5-Star Honor of Shaanxi Provincial Quality Supervision Bureau", with products exported to more than 60 countries and regions around the world, winning wide recognition from domestic and foreign customers.

Our technical foundation is solid, with proprietary patents on mud cleaners, balanced elliptical motion shakers, linear motion shakers, and more. It not only sells single machines, but also provides complete sets of solids control systems, from small 3‑tank units up to 15‑tank systems for wells from 2,000 m to 10,000 m.

Advantages of TR Solids Control Equipment

1. Shale Shaker

   The TRZS series has a processing capacity of 200 to 500 cubic meters per hour, with G-value adjustable from 0.5 to 7.5. There are various types and materials of shaker screens to choose from, ranging from API 20 mesh to 325 mesh. The polyurethane composite shaker screen is much more wear-resistant, with service life three times longer. Especially for high-viscosity mud in shale gas horizontal wells, ordinary screens are prone to clogging, while this one works much better.

   
   

2. Desander & Desilter

   The desander mainly deals with particles of 44 to 74 microns, using 6 to 12-inch cones with processing capacity of 150 to 300 cubic meters. The cone liner is made of silicon carbide, with wear-resistant time of more than 2000 hours. The desilter handles fine particles of 15 to 44 microns, with smaller processing capacity of 50 to 150 cubic meters. The innovatively upgraded mud cleaner, with 3 desanders and 16 desilters, can be used directly on site without cumbersome wiring and piping.

   
   

3. Centrifuge

   The TRLW355-450 series medium-speed centrifuge has rotating speed of 1800 to 2500 rpm, processing capacity of 40 to 60 cubic meters, and nominal solid recovery rate of 95%. The drum is made of 2205 duplex stainless steel by centrifugal casting, which is more corrosion-resistant and wear-resistant than ordinary materials. The TRLW600 series high-speed centrifuge can reach a rotating speed of 3000 to 5000 rpm, with separation accuracy of 2 to 7 microns, and is equipped with full hydraulic differential adjustment, which can automatically adjust when the mud viscosity changes.

   
   

4. Auxiliary Equipment

   • Vacuum Degasser (TRZCQ Series): With processing capacity of 240 to 360 cubic meters, it can remove more than 95% of free gas in the mud, and is equipped with an explosion-proof control cabinet.

   • Mud Agitator: Adopts coupling-free direct drive, with power ranging from 5.5 to 37 kW and frequency conversion control, which can maintain solid suspension rate of more than 98%.

   • Jet Mud Mixing Device: Uses the Venturi principle, which can increase the mud density from 1.0 to 1.6 in ten minutes, and evenly mix bentonite and barite.

5. Complete Set of Systems

   The oil drilling solids control system generally uses 3 to 15 composite tanks, equipped with four-stage purification equipment, which can cover wells from 2000 meters to 10,000 meters.

As professional solids control equipment, Tianrui's energy-saving mud recycling system has strong adaptability, widely used in oil and gas drilling, trenchless HDD, bridge pile foundation, shield tunneling, river dredging, mine tailings treatment and other fields. Whether it is high-sand mud in complex formations or special environments in remote construction sites, the equipment can operate stably to meet the construction needs of different scenarios.

With the continuous tightening of environmental protection policies, energy saving and consumption reduction have become the development trend of the solids control equipment industry. To reduce costs, improve efficiency and meet environmental protection requirements in drilling, mud recycling system is indispensable. TR Solids Control's complete set of solids control equipment, from single machines to the whole system, from conventional wells to shale gas and oil-based mud, has mature solutions. The money saved on mud, transportation and disposal is not small amount in one year.

For more product details or customized solutions, visit www.xatrsy.com or email info@mudsolidscontrol.com.