Hydrocyclone Installation

Hydrocyclones should be located so that underflow can be moved away
with a minimum of trouble and washdown water and so that they are
accessible for maintenance and evaluation.

Discharge overflow should return to the circulating system into
a compartment immediately downstream of the suction compartment;
however, the discharge overflow compartment must be bottom equalized
with the suction compartment, and drilling fluid should backflow from
the discharge tank into the suction tank at all times. The hydrocyclones
should process all of the drilling fluid entering the suction compartment.
Ensure that all drilling fluid entering the discharge compartment has
been processed by the hydrocyclones.

Centrifugal feed pumps should be located so that they have flooded
suction and minimum suction line length with few elbows and turns,
to keep friction losses at a minimum.

A centrifugal pump may stir its suction compartment with mud guns.
Mud jet mixers should not be supplied with fluid from other parts of
the drilling-fluid system. Preferably, mechanical agitators will be used
in the removal section.

Keep the end of the discharge line above the surface of the mud in
the receiving tank, to avoid creating a vacuum. Overflow should be
introduced into the next compartment downstream at approximately a
45 angle so that lines will be kept full and a siphoning vacuum (which
would pull more solids into the overflow discharge) avoided. When
hydrocyclones are mounted more than 5 feet above the liquid level of the
mud tanks, a siphon breaker should be installed in the overflow manifold
from the cones.

For a hydrocyclone troubleshooting guide, see Table 1.

Table 1.
Hydrocyclone Troubleshooting Guide