Brief of oilfield drilling mud agitator  

Oilfield drilling mud agitator is well used on mud tank installation for tank agitating. AIPU is one of the famous agitator suppliers for different options like vertical installation or horizontal installation, worm gear or bevel gear, with a coupler or without, single impeller or double. The agitator is combined with an electrical motor, gearbox, coupler, shaft, impeller, and pubic skid. Oilfield mud agitator typically used flame-proof motors and control panels which is a higher standard for electricals compared to non-explosion proof areas like horizontal directional drilling, water well drilling, and other construction drillings.

Oilfield drilling mud agitator is very important to mix mud inside of the tank to avoid solids build up in tank corner. There are different types of agitators depending on motor installation type, gearbox type, and Jobsite footprint space. There is worm gear, bevel gear, horizontal installation, and vertical installation for options. The agitators will be required for all mud storage tanks, 24 hours of working is essential because the solids built-in tank will be very hard to remove without an agitator. It is very important to keep the mud active in the tank and able to pump anywhere as per job site requirements.

How to choose the right agitator size for a tank

For proper mixing and suspension of solids, the mud agitator must be properly sized and installed.
To properly size a mud agitator, proceed as follows:
1. Select desired style – horizontal with welded or casting impeller
2. Determine available electric power – 440V/460V/380,60HZ, 380V/400V/415V,50HZ or customized.
3. Select horsepower and impeller(s) as determined by the following factors:
a. Tank design – round or square
b. Tank dimensions
c. Maximum mud weight
d. Desired turnover ratio (TOR)
After gathering the required information, the agitator can be properly sized to meet the horsepower demand and correct agitation for the application. Aipu Solids Control can offer customized agitator sizes to meet different tank situations.

Oilfield drilling mud agitator options

1. A horizontal worm gear type agitator is the most popular agitator used in oil and gas mud tanks because it’s cost-effective. There is coupler options for agitator to protect gear or options without a coupler for saving cost.
2. A horizontal bevel gear type agitator is a very good option for larger torque and minimum footprint. The bevel gear is a much higher torque compared to the worm gear. Better performance, higher cost.
3. Vertical agitator, this is well used for vertical tanks with a small footprint but higher height.
4. AIPU supplies mud agitators for the above options as per the buyer’s request and cost budget. Other than an agitator, AIPU supplies a series of equipment for a mud tank or a whole tank with a tank attachment. Please contact us freely.

To ensure accurate sizing, Aipu recommends clients communicate with Aipu people to make sure of size and model.
Following are operational recommendations for mud agitators:
1. Maintain uniform tank dimensions, i.e. equal width-to-length ratio or as close as possible to equal.
2. Avoid TOR values greater than 85 seconds, as this may jeopardize solids suspension.
3. Avoid TOR values less than 40 seconds, as this may result in the formation of a vortex and increase air entrapment.