Drilling mud separation system with removable continuous-belt separation unit

In a drilling mud separation system wherein drilling fluid and drilling mud is conducted from a well bore to solids control equipment;

• a box-like housing for slidably receiving, supporting, and operating a removable generally rectangular drilling fluid and drilling mud separation unit having a movable continuous belt containing a plurality of openings driven by a drive roller connected with a drive axle, the box-like housing comprising:
• a generally rectangular box-like housing having a bottom wall, laterally opposed side walls, a front end wall, and a back end wall;
• a first opening adjacent said front end wall sized to receive said generally rectangular separation unit, and a slotted opening in at least one of said opposed side walls through which said separation unit drive axle extends;
• a pair of elongate laterally opposed parallel rails mounted on the interior of said housing side walls and having one end adjacent said first opening for slidably receiving and removably supporting said generally rectangular separation unit in an annular position relative to a horizontal axis with an end of said separation unit drive axle extending outwardly through said slotted opening;
• drive means disposed on said housing adjacent said slotted opening through which said drive axle extends connected with a power source and operatively connected with said drive axle for rotating said drive axle and said drive roller to move said continuous belt;
• inlet means on said housing adapted to receive said drilling fluid and drilling mud conducted from the well bore and direct it onto said continuous belt;
• and
• outlet means on said housing adapted to be connected with said solids control equipment for conducting liquids and particles smaller than the openings in said movable continuous belt which pass through said openings to said solids control equipment for further separation;
• said box-like housing being stationarily positioned between and connected in fluid communication with said well bore and said solids control equipment, and said removable generally rectangular drilling fluid and drilling mud separation unit is slidably received and supported in said box-like housing, and is slidably removed therefrom;
• wherein
• said separation unit is capable of being easily and quickly removed for servicing and replaced by another said separation unit such that drilling operations may continue while said removed separation unit is being serviced.