Method and apparatus for balancing discharge fluid flow in drilling mud treatment units

Abstract

A method of controlling fluid flow in the drilling mud treatment units of an oil/gas well drilling rig such as, for example, the shale shaker, desander, desilter, and mud cleaner portions thereof provides floating the inlet of an intake conduit at the supernatent liquid layer of the drilling rig reserve pit and providing a common distributor head for routing the supernatent liquid to the various solid control units. A pump is connected to the intake conduit and the header at the intake and discharge respectively. The pump transmits the reserve pit supernatent from the reserve pit to the header by pumping. There is provided one or more branch lines affixed to the header each discharging respectively into the drain of a drilling mud treatment unit associated with the drilling rig with the flow of reserve pit supernatent liquid keeping the various drains open. The drains are positioned to discharge back into the reserve pit. The method saves the use of fresh water for the purpose of keeping drains open by the use of the supernatent liquid.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.