Installed downstream of the primary shale shaker, the Mud Cleaner receives drilling fluid containing sand and finer drilled solids. The hydrocyclones separate the solids from the liquid before the cyclone underflow reaches the shaker.
Drilling fluid enters the hydrocyclones under pressure and forms a swirling flow. Centrifugal force drives heavier solids toward the cyclone wall and into the underflow, while separated drilling fluid exits through the overflow.
The cyclone underflow carries separated solids together with part of the drilling fluid onto the shaker screen. The screen recovers the drilling fluid, while the solids move toward the discharge end. The recovered fluid returns to the active mud system.
