MUD TANK AND PIT USE

The surface mud system consists of the flow line, active mud tanks, reserve mud tanks, trip mud tank, mud agitators, pumps, motors, solids- and gas-removal devices, mixing and shearing devices, and associated piping. The surface mud system can be considered to be composed of the following sections. Each section has unique agitation and suspension requirements. Please refer to Table 10.1 for TOR requirements for the compartments. Remember that TOR is an indication of how vigorously the fluid must move within the compartment.

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BULK ADDITION SYSTEMS

A variety of systems are available to transport and contain large volumes
of dry bulk chemicals. Commonly known as P-tanks (pressure tanks),
these vessels are usually mounted upright and connected via piping to
a mud mixing hopper. They may also be mounted remote from the hopper and deliver material through a piping system by pneumatic force. Other designs mount the tanks above the hopper and gravity-feed the material. These tanks accommodate most dry bulk chemicals, including barite, bentonite, and cement.

Figure 1. Specialized shearing pump

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MUD HOPPERS

Prior to the use of centrifugal pumps on drilling rigs, the standby reciprocating mud pumps were customarily used to operate the mud hopper. As with high pressure mud guns, this required high-pressure pipe and connections. This was costly because the pump required enormous power and expensive piping. A small orifice in the hopper delivered a low flow at a high velocity. The jet velocity was suitable for adequate mixing, but the volume was usually less than 500 gpm. This, of course, would limit the speed of material addition.

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BERNOULLI’S PRINCIPLE

The Bernoulli principle, first formulated by Daniel Bernoulli in 1738, is
one means of expressing Newton’s second law of physics, concerning
conservation of energy. Roughly stated, this principle demonstrates that
the sum of pressure and velocity through or over a device represents is
equal, neglecting the effects of losses due to friction and/or increases by
adding energy with external devices such as pumps. The basic concept of
Bernoulli’s principle can be observed in routine daily activities: A ship’s
sail can push a vessel into the wind; an airplane’s wing produces lift; a
pitcher induces spin on a baseball and generates high- and low-pressure
zones forcing the ball into a curved pattern. Bernoulli’s principle can also
be demonstrated in the flow of fluids through pipe.

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