Dehydrator system and methods of using the same

A method of removing solids from drilling fluids comprising the steps of:

• providing drilling fluids to a dehydrator system comprising a solids removal system in fluidic communication with a core dehydrator, wherein the core dehydrator comprises a plurality of small deflector plaques and a plurality of large deflector plaques, the solids removal system comprises a large cylindrical section, a large rotating paddle, a small cylindrical section, a small rotating paddle and a drive shaft, the drive shaft is connected to the large rotating paddle and the small rotating paddle, and the large cylindrical section and the small cylindrical section are in fluidic communication with the plurality of small deflector plaques and the plurality of large deflector plaques;
• mixing drilling fluids with polymer solution in the mixing unit to produce flocculated drilling fluids comprising micro-floccules;
• collecting micro-floccules with the small deflector plaques and the large deflector plaques wherein micro-floccules agglutinate and enlarge producing solids;
• separating the solids from the flocculated drilling fluids;
• and
• removing solids from the dehydrator system, wherein the large rotating paddle and the small rotating paddle are configured to move solids from the large cylindrical section to the small cylindrical section and out of the dehydrator system.

A solids removal system for a dehydrator system, the dehydrator system having a core dehydrator and a mixing unit, the core dehydrator comprising a plurality of small deflector plaques in fluidic communication with a plurality of large deflector plaques and the mixing unit comprising a rapid mixing manifold in fluidic communication with a plurality of vertical flocculators, the solids removal system comprising:

• a large rotating paddle;
• a small rotating paddle;
• and
• a drive shaft, wherein the large rotating paddle and the small rotating paddle are connected to the drive shaft and in fluid communication with core dehydrator to dispose solids from the dehydrator system.