Circulating System The drilling operation uses fluids to reduce friction and remove rock fragments or cuttings. The circulating system pumps these drilling fluids down the hole, out of the nozzles in the drilling bit, and returns them to the surface where the debris is separated from the fluid. Drilling fluid is also knows as drilling mud because of its characteristic brown color. The drilling mud is mixed in tanks. The mud is pumped through a hose to the swivel, down the kelly, and into the drill pipe. The mud goes down the drill string and out of the drilling bit nozzles. The mud carries the cuttings from the bottom of the hole to the surface in the space between the outside of the drill string and the inside of the hole. The cuttings are separated from the mud in a vibrating screen called a shale shaker. The cuttings are trapped on the screen and the mud passes through the screen into the mud pits. The circulating pumps pick up this clean mud and send it back down the hole. The cuttings are collected in a plastic-lined pit for disposal. Drilling mud is a mixture of water, clay, and special minerals and chemicals. Drilling mud removes cuttings from the hole and cools and lubricates the drilling bit. Mud also maintains pressure in the hole to keep fluids in the formation from entering the hole and producing a gusher of oil on the surface. Different muds are used during the drilling process to adjust to rock formations, temperature, and pressure.
Posted on: Tue, 06 Aug 2013 20:07:29 +0000
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