Mud agitators are fluid mixing equipment that keeps solids in drilling fluid suspending, no deposit in the mud tank bottom. It uses its impeller to agitate and mix the drilling mud to prevent solid particles from depositing in the tank or mud pit.
Structure Of Mud agitator
There were many types of mud agitator, depending on purpose demand, gearbox type, and working conditions. But the basic structure of the mud agitator is all the same: Motor, gearbox [Speed reducer], shaft, and impeller.
Hot Questions About Mud Agitator
Is there any other configuration on the agitator type or drive system?
Yes. Some clients prefer the hydraulic drive for some specific use. Some clients need a vertical agitator. And some clients prefer the stainless steel shaft and impeller. Different applications and industries will request equipment much different If you have questions or demand on mud mixers, please let us know and we’ll help you to get the ideal solution.
In a complete mud system, how many sets of agitators do we need?
For oil and gas drilling, there are different configurations on tanks number, tanks size, so it’s not easy to confirm. But we can take a system as an example. One mud system laying with 6 tanks, and tanks size are 9 m X 2.2 m X 2.3 m. The normal proposal is 3 sets of agitator per tank. But there is a shaker tank, then we deduct 1 set. So, probably we need 17 sets of the agitator. And the agitators are APM 7.5 driven by 7.5 kw motor.
If you want to other inquries, please read these articles:
- Mud Agitators And How To Select A Proper Impeller and shaft
- An Example For How To Choose Mud agitator
- How To Choose Gears Of Mud Agitator
- How sizing and install mud agitator
How proper operation a mud agitator
- Before commissioning check if there is any release on the connection part and make them tight.
- There should be no noise during operation or commissioning. If there is please stop running agitator and correct the problem.
- Before running please check if the impeller rotation direction is the same as the marked direction.
- Inspect oil height via observation window make sure the level always be at the center.
- The gearbox should be lubricated by industrial gear oil if there is a special situation we can consider using grease oil with lower viscosity.
- After 5 days operation please discharge all of the oil out of the gearbox and clean gearbox feed clean lubrication oil in it. Then do the same work every 6 months.
More info: The Principle of Using Mud Agitator
Large torque mud agitator will help much on mixing drilling fluid thoroughly
Factors affecting the price of mud agitator
Motor
The most important factor was the power of the mud agitator, 5.5 Kw agitator is cost far lower than 22 KW. There is apparently a different price between the explosion-proof type and Non-proof type. Higher explosion-proof grade means higher cost.
Motors are available with horizontal or vertical mounts. The motors generally have shafts that rotate much faster than the impellers need to rotate. A large gearbox, or gear reducer, used to turn the shaft, is mounted at the end of the motor. The motor size depends upon the diameter of the impeller blades and the density of the slurry.
Gearbox
There are mainly five types gearbox used in mud agitator depends on clients demand:
- planetary gearbox
- worm gearbox
- bevel gearbox
- helical-worm gearbox
- helical-bevel gearbox
Worm gearbox type mud agitator is a common type, durable, and easy maintenance. But its efficiency lower than the bevel gearbox. so bevel gearboxes are generally more expensive than worm gearboxes for the same HP and gear ratios. Helical-worm and helical-bevel are advanced generation type of worm and bevel gearbox. They produce less vibration and noise. The planetary gearbox is mainly used in vertical agitator.
More info: Bevel gear vs. worm gear | advantages & disadvantages; GEAR TYPES AND CHARACTERISTICS
Shaft and impeller
Three different types of impellers are available for most mechanical agitators: flat blade,
canted blade, and proprietary. Generally, Materials determine the price of shaft and impeller. Stainless steel is more expensive than common carbon steel.
Looking for a gearbox for a mud mixing unit. it has a 7.5 electric motor, 2 15/16 output shaft. Max 2000 is on the top cover.
Hello drillingfluid.org admin, Keep up the great work!