how to use a mud pump free sample

I’ve run into several instances of insufficient suction stabilization on rigs where a “standpipe” is installed off the suction manifold. The thought behind this design was to create a gas-over-fluid column for the reciprocating pump and eliminate cavitation.

When the standpipe is installed on the suction manifold’s deadhead side, there’s little opportunity to get fluid into all the cylinders to prevent cavitation. Also, the reciprocating pump and charge pump are not isolated.

The gas over fluid internal systems has limitations too. The standpipe loses compression due to gas being consumed by the drilling fluid. In the absence of gas, the standpipe becomes virtually defunct because gravity (14.7 psi) is the only force driving the cylinders’ fluid. Also, gas is rarely replenished or charged in the standpipe.

Installing a suction stabilizer from the suction manifold port supports the manifold’s capacity to pull adequate fluid and eliminates the chance of manifold fluid deficiency, which ultimately prevents cavitation.

Another benefit of installing a suction stabilizer is eliminating the negative energies in fluids caused by the water hammer effect from valves quickly closing and opening.

The suction stabilizer’s compressible feature is designed to absorb the negative energies and promote smooth fluid flow. As a result, pump isolation is achieved between the charge pump and the reciprocating pump.

The isolation eliminates pump chatter, and because the reciprocating pump’s negative energies never reach the charge pump, the pump’s expendable life is extended.

Investing in suction stabilizers will ensure your pumps operate consistently and efficiently. They can also prevent most challenges related to pressure surges or pulsations in the most difficult piping environments.

Sigma Drilling Technologies’ Charge Free Suction Stabilizer is recommended for installation. If rigs have gas-charged cartridges installed in the suction stabilizers on the rig, another suggested upgrade is the Charge Free Conversion Kits.

This rig features a Mission 4-by-5 centrifugal pump. Courtesy of Higgins Rig Co.Returning to the water well industry when I joined Schramm Inc. last year, I knew that expanding my mud pump knowledge was necessary to represent the company"s mud rotary drill line properly. One item new to me was the centrifugal mud pump. What was this pump that a number of drillers were using? I had been trained that a piston pump was the only pump of any ability.

As I traveled and questioned drillers, I found that opinions of the centrifugal pumps varied. "Best pump ever built," "What a piece of junk" and "Can"t drill more than 200 feet with a centrifugal" were typical of varying responses. Because different opinions had confused the issue, I concluded my discussions and restarted my education with a call to a centrifugal pump manufacturer. After that conversation, I went back to the field to continue my investigation.

For the past eight months, I have held many discussions and conducted field visits to understand the centrifugal pump. As a result, my factual investigation has clearly proved that the centrifugal pump has a place in mud rotary drilling. The fact also is clear that many drilling contractors do not understand the correct operational use of the pump. Following are the results of my work in the field.

High up-hole velocity - High pump flow (gpm) moves cuttings fast. This works well with lower viscosity muds - reducing mud expense, mixing time and creating shorter settling times.

Able to run a desander - The centrifugal"s high volume enables a desander to be operated off the pump discharge while drilling without adding a dedicated desander pump.

6. Sticky clays will stall a centrifugal pump"s flow. Be prepared to reduce your bit load in these conditions and increase your rpm if conditions allow. Yes, clays can be drilled with a centrifugal pump.

7. Centrifugal pumps cannot pump muds over 9.5 lbs./gal. Centrifugal pumps work best with a 9.0 lbs./gal. mud weight or less. High flow rate move cuttings, not heavy mud.

The goal of this article has been to increase awareness of the value of the centrifugal pump and its growing use. Although the centrifugal pump is not flawless, once its different operating techniques are understood, drilling programs are being enhanced with the use of this pump.

If you wish to learn more, please talk directly to centrifugal pump users. Feel free to call me at 314-909-8077 for a centrifugal pump user list. These drillers will gladly share their centrifugal pump experiences.

If you run a mud rig, you have probably figured out that the mud pump is the heart of the rig. Without it, drilling stops. Keeping your pump in good shape is key to productivity. There are some tricks I have learned over the years to keeping a pump running well.

First, you need a baseline to know how well your pump is doing. When it’s freshly rebuilt, it will be at the top efficiency. An easy way to establish this efficiency is to pump through an orifice at a known rate with a known fluid. When I rig up, I hook my water truck to my pump and pump through my mixing hopper at idle. My hopper has a ½-inch nozzle in it, so at idle I see about 80 psi on the pump when it’s fresh. Since I’m pumping clear water at a known rate, I do this on every job.

As time goes on and I drill more hole, and the pump wears, I start seeing a decrease in my initial pressure — 75, then 70, then 65, etc. This tells me I better order parts. Funny thing is, I don’t usually notice it when drilling. After all, I am running it a lot faster, and it’s hard to tell the difference in a few gallons a minute until it really goes south. This method has saved me quite a bit on parts over the years. When the swabs wear they start to leak. This bypass pushes mud around the swab, against the liners, greatly accelerating wear. By changing the swab at the first sign of bypass, I am able to get at least three sets of swabs before I have to change liners. This saves money.

Before I figured this out, I would sometimes have to run swabs to complete failure. (I was just a hand then, so it wasn’t my rig.) When I tore the pump down to put in swabs, lo-and-behold, the liners were cut so badly that they had to be changed too. That is false economy. Clean mud helps too. A desander will pay for itself in pump parts quicker than you think, and make a better hole to boot. Pump rods and packing last longer if they are washed and lubricated. In the oilfield, we use a petroleum-based lube, but that it not a good idea in the water well business. I generally use water and dish soap. Sometimes it tends to foam too much, so I add a few tablets of an over the counter, anti-gas product, like Di-Gel or Gas-Ex, to cut the foaming.

Maintenance on the gear end of your pump is important, too. Maintenance is WAY cheaper than repair. The first, and most important, thing is clean oil. On a duplex pump, there is a packing gland called an oil-stop on the gear end of the rod. This is often overlooked because the pump pumps just as well with a bad oil-stop. But as soon as the fluid end packing starts leaking, it pumps mud and abrasive sand into the gear end. This is a recipe for disaster. Eventually, all gear ends start knocking. The driller should notice this, and start planning. A lot of times, a driller will change the oil and go to a higher viscosity oil, thinking this will help cushion the knock. Wrong. Most smaller duplex pumps are splash lubricated. Thicker oil does not splash as well, and actually starves the bearings of lubrication and accelerates wear. I use 85W90 in my pumps. A thicker 90W140 weight wears them out a lot quicker. You can improve the “climbing” ability of the oil with an additive, like Lucas, if you want. That seems to help.

Outside the pump, but still an important part of the system, is the pop-off, or pressure relief valve. When you plug the bit, or your brother-in-law closes the discharge valve on a running pump, something has to give. Without a good, tested pop-off, the part that fails will be hard to fix, expensive and probably hurt somebody. Pop-off valve are easily overlooked. If you pump cement through your rig pump, it should be a standard part of the cleanup procedure. Remove the shear pin and wash through the valve. In the old days, these valves were made to use a common nail as the shear pin, but now nails come in so many grades that they are no longer a reliable tool. Rated shear pins are available for this. In no case should you ever run an Allen wrench! They are hardened steel and will hurt somebody or destroy your pump.

One last thing that helps pump maintenance is a good pulsation dampener. It should be close to the pump discharge, properly sized and drained after every job. Bet you never thought of that one. If your pump discharge goes straight to the standpipe, when you finish the job your standpipe is still full of fluid. Eventually the pulsation dampener will water-log and become useless. This is hard on the gear end of the pump. Open a valve that drains it at the end of every job. It’ll make your pump run smoother and longer.

Created specifically for drilling equipment inspectors and others in the oil and gas industry, the Oil Rig Mud Pump Inspection app allows you to easily document the status and safety of your oil rigs using just a mobile device. Quickly resolve any damage or needed maintenance with photos and GPS locations and sync to the cloud for easy access. The app is completely customizable to fit your inspection needs and works even without an internet signal.Try Template

Fulcrum helps us improve our processes and make our work environment safer by streamlining inspections, surfacing inspection-related insights, and managing follow-up actions. Once you close the loop from action to insight to further action, the possibilities are limitless.

Fulcrum lets employees on the floor who actually are building the product take ownership. Everyone’s got a smartphone. So now they see an issue and report it so it can be fixed, instead of just ignoring it because that’s the way it’s always been done.

One of the big things you can’t really measure is buy-in from employees in the field. People that didn’t want to go away from pen and paper and the old way of doing things now come to us and have ideas for apps.

Easy to custom make data collection forms specific to my needs. Very flexible and I can add or adjust data collection information when I need it. The inclusion of metadata saves a lot of time.

It is so easy to use. You don"t have to be a GIS specialist or coder to set up the app. Just a regular person is able to set up their own app and use it.

Fulcrum is, without a doubt, the best thing I"ve done for my business in regards to cost saving and time efficiency. Support is very good and help, on the rare occasions it"s required, is never far away.

There are many different ways to drill a domestic water well. One is what we call the “mud rotary” method. Whether or not this is the desired and/or best method for drilling your well is something more fully explained in this brief summary.

One advantage of drilling with compressed air is that it can tell you when you have encountered groundwater and gives you an indication how much water the borehole is producing. When drilling with water using the mud rotary method, the driller must rely on his interpretation of the borehole cuttings and any changes he can observe in the recirculating fluid. Mud rotary drillers can also use borehole geophysical tools to interpret which zones might be productive enough for your water well.

The mud rotary well drilling method is considered a closed-loop system. That is, the mud is cleaned of its cuttings and then is recirculated back down the borehole. Referring to this drilling method as “mud” is a misnomer, but it is one that has stuck with the industry for many years and most people understand what the term actually means.

The water is carefully mixed with a product that should not be called mud because it is a highly refined and formulated clay product—bentonite. It is added, mixed, and carefully monitored throughout the well drilling process.

The purpose of using a bentonite additive to the water is to form a thin film on the walls of the borehole to seal it and prevent water losses while drilling. This film also helps support the borehole wall from sluffing or caving in because of the hydraulic pressure of the bentonite mixture pressing against it. The objective of the fluid mixture is to carry cuttings from the bottom of the borehole up to the surface, where they drop out or are filtered out of the fluid, so it can be pumped back down the borehole again.

When using the mud rotary method, the driller must have a sump, a tank, or a small pond to hold a few thousand gallons of recirculating fluid. If they can’t dig sumps or small ponds, they must have a mud processing piece of equipment that mechanically screens and removes the sands and gravels from the mixture. This device is called a “shale shaker.”

The fluid mixture must have a gel strength sufficient to support marble-size gravels and sand to the surface when the fluid is moving. Once the cuttings have been carried to the surface and the velocity of the fluid allowed to slow down, the fluid is designed to allow the sand and gravel to drop out.

The driller does not want to pump fine sand through the pump and back down the borehole. To avoid that, the shale shaker uses vibrating screens of various sizes and desanding cones to drop the sand out of the fluid as it flows through the shaker—so that the fluid can be used again.

When the borehole has reached the desired depth and there is evidence that the formation it has penetrated will yield enough water, then it’s time to make the borehole into a well.

Before the well casing and screens are lowered into the borehole, the recirculating fluid is slowly thinned out by adding fresh water as the fluid no longer needs to support sand and gravel. The driller will typically circulate the drilling from the bottom up the borehole while adding clear water to thin down the viscosity or thickness of the fluid. Once the fluid is sufficiently thinned, the casing and screens are installed and the annular space is gravel packed.

Gravel pack installed between the borehole walls and the outside of the well casing acts like a filter to keep sand out and maintain the borehole walls over time. During gravel packing of the well, the thin layer of bentonite clay that kept the borehole wall from leaking drilling fluid water out of the recirculating system now keeps the formation water from entering the well.

This is where well development is performed to remove the thin bentonite layer or “wall cake” that was left behind. Various methods are used to remove the wall cake and develop the well to its maximum productivity.

Some drillers use compressed air to blow off the well, starting at the first screened interval and slowly working their way to the bottom—blowing off all the water standing above the drill pipe and allowing it to recover, and repeating this until the water blown from the well is free of sand and relatively clean. If after repeated cycles of airlift pumping and recovery the driller cannot find any sand in the water, it is time to install a well development pump.

Additional development of the well can be done with a development pump that may be of a higher capacity than what the final installation pump will be. Just as with cycles of airlift pumping of the well, the development pump will be cycled at different flow rates until the maximum capacity of the well can be determined. If the development pump can be operated briefly at a flow rate 50% greater than the permanent pump, the well should not pump sand.

Mud rotary well drillers for decades have found ways to make this particular system work to drill and construct domestic water wells. In some areas, it’s the ideal method to use because of the geologic formations there, while other areas of the country favor air rotary methods.

Some drilling rigs are equipped to drill using either method, so the contractor must make the decision as to which method works best in your area, for your well, and at your point in time.

To learn more about the difference between mud rotary drilling and air rotary drilling, click the video below. The video is part of our “NGWA: Industry Connected” YouTube series:

Gary Hix is a Registered Professional Geologist in Arizona, specializing in hydrogeology. He was the 2019 William A. McEllhiney Distinguished Lecturer for The Groundwater Foundation. He is a former licensed water well drilling contractor and remains actively involved in the National Ground Water Association and Arizona Water Well Association.

To learn more about Gary’s work, go to In2Wells.com. His eBooks, “Domestic Water Wells in Arizona: A Guide for Realtors and Mortgage Lenders” and “Shared Water Wells in Arizona,” are available on Amazon.

The 2,200-hp mud pump for offshore applications is a single-acting reciprocating triplex mud pump designed for high fluid flow rates, even at low operating speeds, and with a long stroke design. These features reduce the number of load reversals in critical components and increase the life of fluid end parts.

The pump’s critical components are strategically placed to make maintenance and inspection far easier and safer. The two-piece, quick-release piston rod lets you remove the piston without disturbing the liner, minimizing downtime when you’re replacing fluid parts.

Instead of using paper checklists when out in the field, drilling contractors and rig inspection services can generate a new inspection form from anywhere and the results are saved electronically.

Specifically designed for drilling companies and others in the oil and gas industry, the easy to use drilling rig inspections app makes it easy to log information about the drill rigs, including details about the drill rigs operators, miles logged and well numbers. The inspection form app covers everything from the mud pump areas and mud mixing area to the mud tanks and pits, making it easy to identify areas where preventative maintenance is needed. The drilling rig equipment checklist also covers health and safety issues, including the availability of PPE equipment, emergency response and preparedness processes, and other critical elements of the drilling process and drill press equipment.

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Mud pumps are a vital part of pipeline drilling projects. But with mud pumps, you have a decision to make: Should you use an onboard or a stand-alone mud pump? Both can get the job done well, but what’s the best option for your operation? To answer those questions, we have to look at three different factors: productivity, transportation and space.

First, you have to consider your productivity goals. To maximise the capacity and productivity of your pipeline directional drills, you need a consistent flow of drilling fluid that a mud pump can provide. However, there is a difference in size between onboard mud pumps and stand-alone ones.

For example, on the Vermeer D220x300 S3 Navigator® horizontal directional drill the maximum drilling fluid flow is 345 gal./min (1306 l/min). An onboard mud pump most likely won’t be able to reach that maximum flow but a stand-alone pump could. At 100% efficiency, the Vermeer SA400 Tier 4i (Stage IIIB) high-pressure mud pump has a maximum flow of 550 gal./min (2082 l/min), which would allow you to maximise the fluid flow on your drill.

If you lower your fluid flow, you are slowing your downhole speed and your thrust/pullback speed. You can get by with a smaller onboard mud pump, but you will have to take things slower and be patient as you drill.

“The higher the flow, the higher the productivity,” said Tod Michael, a Vermeer product manager for trenchless products. “If you are drilling a smaller diameter bore, a small onboard pump could handle the job. But if you need to increase your fluid, have a higher gal/min flow downhole or are drilling a 24 in. (60.9 cm) diameter or larger, a stand-alone mud pump is a good option.”

A stand-alone mud pump means there is more equipment to haul to the jobsite. Often, this requires an additional truck to transport it, since you also have to haul your drill, reclaimer and drilling fluid too. Another truck means extra costs and is something to be aware of beforehand.

“I would advise weighing the transportation costs with your productivity advantage,” suggested Michael. “If you find you can live with lower productivity because it’s more economical to haul only one truck, that’s great. If you find it’s better to haul two trucks of equipment to maximise your productivity, that is great too. It all comes down to your preference and your specific operation.”

One last thing to consider before you make a decision between onboard or stand-alone mud pumps is the space on the jobsite. Think about the typical amount of room you have for equipment. Will you have space for a stand-alone mud pump each time?

“Your jobsite space may vary from site to site, but ensuring that you will have room for a mud pump is an important factor to remember as you plan the project,” said Michael. “Usually, if contractors have the space, they will opt to have a stand-alone mud pump onsite.”

At the end of the day, the decision is yours. Considering the productivity pros and cons, the additional transport costs and the space on your jobsite can help make the decision simpler but it all depends on your specific needs and how you operate on a daily basis.

Summary :To become a Drilling Supervisor for a leading oil company and service the company to the best of my ability by applying knowledge and experience along with working safely and efficiently.

Description :Hoisting machinery including equipment such as pumps for air, water, mud, and tools used to correct problems in drilled holes caused by mechanical breakdowns.

Headline :Assist with good development and pumping tests along with maintaining records of drilling and servicing operations Obtain drilling samples Operate controls of drill rig or service rig.

Involve in SLIP and CUT operations Assist the driller in all rig floor activities during drilling, casing, cementing, making of BHA, installation of BOP, etc.

Ensure proper line up of the choke manifold and prepare trip sheet and kill street Take measurement of tools and pipes and prepare pipe tally Carry out a routine inspection of TDS, Blocks, Derrick and Crown wheel.

Headline :To further advance in the petroleum industry & utilize knowledge and experience in a leadership role as a petroleum Engineer, Asst. Driller, Driller or Directional Driller to effectively contribute to achieving the Organizational cause and overall development with excellence.

Trains drilling crew in the safe performance of their duties and the proper care and maintenance of the rig and drill string, including lubrication of equipment and housekeeping.

Objective :Dynamic leader with experience supervising all production lines, overseeing safety inspections, scheduling production and conducting weekly physical inventories. Focused decision maker with demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams in the design, development and launch of leading-edge solutions and processes.

Description :Prepared technical scopes of work, correspondence, and documentation that supported effective design, development, and implementation of a safe rig floor operation.

Inspected and monitored all rig floor and mud pump room systems including heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) and daylighting systems to determine energy use or potential energy savings.

Summary :Over 5 years experience in incident investigation, safety auditing, training evaluation/planning, and regulatory compliance evaluations. Backed up by 14 years of working for drilling contractors and specialty service providers.

Objective :Highly regarded in this field and demonstrates its commitment to loyalty and ability to recognize individuals whose integrity is evident through teamwork, dedication, problem-solving, and accountability. Interested in supervisory positions where leadership qualities and hands-on experience will be used in the advantage for safety and maximum production.

Headline :To join a well-established and professional organization that will add to my career and that would provide me with experience in my field. Where can apply technical skills to allow improves, grow, gain experience and apply it in the best way to serve career.

Summary :Extremely reliable & respectful enough to work in different cultures in a multi-national environment, commitment to work and employer, willingness to take new challenges and responsibilities, acquire a safety working environment for fellow employees.

Objective :Seeking a permanent position with a well-established company with room for advancement. Willing to take on any task given to with the mindset of finishing the job until it"s complete.

Description :Assist with good development and pumping tests along with maintaining records of drilling and servicing operations Obtain drilling samples Operate controls of drill rig or service rig

Headline :Seeking employment in the oil field as a driller, derrick men oil and gas, motor man or floor hand. Interested in heavy equipment operator or crane rigger.

Headline :Assistant Driller will be responsible for all aspects of drilling, including but not limited to: working with the driller and rig crew to ensure safe operations, logging and maintaining safety records, performing cementing procedures, taking a lead role in planning and executing well maintenance, operations, and well site activities.

Drilling mud is most commonly used in the process of drilling boreholes for a variety of reasons such as oil and gas extraction as well as core sampling. The mud plays an important role in the drilling process by serving numerous functions. The main function it is utilized for is as a lubricating agent. A large amount of friction is generated as drilling occurs which has the potential to damage the drill or the formation being drilled. The mud aids in the decrease in friction as well as lowering the heat of the drilling. It also acts a carrier for the drilled material so it becomes suspended in the mud and carried to the surface.

Using a Moyno progressive cavity pump, the drilling mud with suspended material can be pumped through a process to remove the solids and reuse the cleaned mud for further drilling.