{"id":3158,"date":"2022-04-30T08:39:23","date_gmt":"2022-04-30T08:39:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mff-oilfield.com\/?p=3158"},"modified":"2022-04-30T09:18:23","modified_gmt":"2022-04-30T09:18:23","slug":"how-parameters-affecting-the-performance-of-a-shale-shaker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mff-oilfield.com\/how-parameters-affecting-the-performance-of-a-shale-shaker\/","title":{"rendered":"How Parameters Affecting The Performance Of A Shale Shaker"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
The performance of a shale shaker is influenced by a wide variety of variables and factors. The most important variables affecting the capacity of a shale shaker are the rheological properties of the drilling fluid, the concentration and size distribution of solids, the mesh and area of the screen, the frequency of vibration, the pattern of vibration, the acceleration, and the angle of the deck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shale shaker capacity is maximised by balancing the number of separated cuttings removed from the screen with the amount of filtrated drilling mud that passes through the screen, as shown in the figure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tilting the screen up reduces solids velocity while saving more fluid. For example, tilting the screen down increases drilling mudflow and cuttings moisture at the exit. The optimal angle for each shaker varies depending on the manufacturer; nevertheless, tilting the screen up further than that causes particulates to accumulate on the screen and clog the screen pores. However, the fundamental principles that underlie the influence of vibration on the displacement of fluid in porous media are still not fully understood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is hypothesised that changes in the pore structure and particle rearrangement are responsible for the increase in flow rate observed. The influence of vibration on the fluid velocity of drilling fluids as a non-wetting phase in a column filled with water and sand was investigated. It was discovered that increasing the amplitude of the vibration enhanced the flow rate of the drilling mud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another explanation for the influence of vibration on the flow rate is based on the phenomenon of capillary entrapment (also known as capillary dilation). The process of capillary entrapment seems to be the most promising. The concept for this mechanism was developed based on the interfacial tension, which is believed to be the most critical parameter in multiphase flow in porous media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The fluid is trapped in porous media due to changes in pore size, which causes differences in capillary pressures. The flow rate of liquid through the porous medium is altered due to the pressure imbalance. It is clear from experimenting that providing vibration will result in an inertial body force acting on the fluid, which will result in the trapped fluid being pushed back into the stream of flow by the screen vibration. A possible impact of vibration on the increase of flow rate is that it creates internal circulation in the mud and provides the fluid more time to hit the screen. This might be one of the effects that vibrating increases the flow rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Both the particle size distribution and the particle concentration impact the solids-liquid separation process. In drilling mud, increasing the solid concentration causes the performance of the drilling operations to be compromised. According to the results of an experimental study, muds comprising more than 10% by mass solids were responsible for the failure of the filtering process. The findings of micro-bit drilling revealed that extremely small particles in a drilling mud had a greater negative impact on the flow rate than bigger particles of the same size.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is said that particles less than one micron are much more harmful to the filtering process than particles bigger than one micron. Almost all solids-liquid separation equipment used in the drilling industry is intended to remove particles bigger than 1 micron. The vibration of the shale shaker alters the creation of particle structure in the drilling mud, which results in different drilling results. In the presence of vibration, the shear stress of the drilling fluid is reduced; however, polymeric drilling fluid is not influenced by the presence of vibration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the results of a study on the effect of plastic viscosity and yield values on the capacity of a shale shaker, the plastic viscosity of drilling mud flowing through the screen and cake has a significant effect on the capacity. In contrast, the yield value has a minor effect on the shaker’s performance. It has also been shown that raising the plastic viscosity and yield value of a drilling fluid increases the screen area needed in a shaker to get the desired results. It is possible to enhance the capacity of a shale shaker by lowering plastic viscosity and increasing the screen area, shaker angle, and acceleration.<\/p>\n\n\n