Page 342 - Shale Shakers Drilling Fluid Systems
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324 SHALE SHAKERS AND DRILLING FLUID SYSTEMS
may be a combination of high and low specific gravity solids and native
or commercial solids. Examples of dissolved solids are the soluble salts
of sodium, calcium and magnesium. Suspended solids make up the wall
cake; dissolved solids remain in the filtrate. The total suspended and
dissolved solids contents are commonly expressed as percent by volume
and, less commonly, as percent by weight. See: Retort.
Solids Discharge The stream from a liquid-solids separator containing a higher percent-
age of solids than does the feed.
Solids Discharge Capacity The maximum rate at which a liquid-solids separation device can dis-
charge solids without overloading.
Solids Separation Equipment Any and all of the devices used to remove solids from liquids in drilling
(i.e., shale shaker, desander, desilter, mud cleaner, and centrifuge).
Solubility The degree to which a substance will dissolve in a specific solvent.
Solute A substance that is dissolved in another (the solvent).
Solution A mixture of two or more components that form a homogeneous single
phase. An example of a solution is salt dissolved in water.
Solvent Liquid used to dissolve a substance (the solute).
Souring A term commonly used to describe fermentation.
Specific Gravity The weight of a specific volume of a liquid, solid, or slurry in reference
to the weight of an equal volume of water at a reference temperature of
3.89°C (water has a density of 1.0 gm/cc at this temperature).
Specific Heat Capacity The number of calories required to raise one gram of a substance 1°C.
Spray Bar A pipe located over the bed of a shale shaker through which dilution fluid
is sprayed onto the screen surface during separation of the drilled solids. In
practice, spray bars may supply a mist or small amount of liquid—not a
hard spray—to prevent washing fine solids through the screen panels and
back into the circulating system.
Spray Discharge See: Spray Underflow.
Spray Underflow The characteristic underflow of certain balanced hydrocyclones discharg-
ing to the atmosphere and not overloaded with separable solids.
Spud Mud The drilling fluid used when drilling starts at the surface, often a thick
bentonite-lime slurry.
Spudding In The initiating of the drilling operations in the first top hole section of a
new well.
Spurt Loss The flux of fluids and solids that occurs in the initial stages of any filtra-
tion before pore openings are bridged and a filter cake is formed. See:
Surge Loss.
Square Mesh Screen cloth with the same mesh count in both directions.
Square Weave See: Square Mesh.
