How Much Do You Know About Mud Pumps?
Drilling for oil exploration is a complex operation that requires specialized machinery to complete. Mud pumps are one of the basic mechanical components needed to successfully conduct drilling operations. This article will focus on some basic information about mud pumps.
Introduction
A mud pump is also called drilling pump, designed and used to high pressure operation, to transport high viscosity fluids at greater depths in oil drilling. Mud pumps have many applications in industrial service, but they have proven to be invaluable in many drilling operations.
Mud pumps are available in a variety of configurations and sizes. However, mud pumps tend to be one of two main types: duplex mud pumps and triplex mud pumps. A duplex mud pump has two pistons (or plungers) that are in constant motion to move the fluid. Triplex mud pumps use a three-cylinder piston (plunger) design, which is more efficient than a two-cylinder design. Therefore, in most applications, the three-cylinder mud pump almost replaced the two-cylinder mud pump.
Working Principle
The mud pump obtains rotating power through an external power source. When working, the power machine of the mud pump drives the main shaft and the crankshaft fixed on it through belts, drive shafts, gears and other transmission parts. When the crankshaft rotates counterclockwise from left to right from horizontal position, the piston moves to the power end, the pressure in the fluid end module gradually decreases to form a vacuum, and the mud/liquid in the mud pool opens the suction valve into the fluid end module under the surface pressure of the liquid. Until the piston movement to the right stop. This working process is called the pump suction process.
After the crankshaft completes the above suction process, continue to rotate counterclockwise. At this point, the piston begins to move to the liquid end, the liquid in the cylinder is squeezed. The pressure rises, the suction valve closes and the discharge valve opens. The top valve opens and the mud/liquid enters the discharge tube until the piston moves to the left block. This process is called the pump discharge process. With the continuous operation of the power machine, the reciprocating pump repeats the process of suction and discharge continuously, transporting the mud/liquid in the suction mud pool to the bottom of the oil well through the discharge pipe in a continuous manner.
Support Components
Most mud pump applications generate a lot of vibration due to the pressure and material being pumped. To address this problem, many mud pump applications employ pulsation dampers. These are typically used on the suction side and discharge side of the pump.
Pump Parameters
There are two main parameters to use when selecting a slurry pump, namely pressure and displacement. Pressure is the net pumping pressure that the pump can safely provide. The pressure requirement increases with drilling depth and fluid (or mud) viscosity.
Displacement is the volume of fluid that the pump can transfer in a given time period. In most applications, this is rated as liters per minute of discharge.
Applications
Mud pumps are ideal where large volumes of fluid need to be pumped at high pressures. They are considered an essential component of most oil well drilling rigs. Mud pumps can consistently deliver highly concentrated, high viscosity mud for a variety of applications.