What is Shale Shaker Screen?

What is Shale Shaker Screen?

What is Shale Shaker Screen?

The shale shaker screen is a mesh screen that is created out of woven metal that goes inside the shale shaker. Whenever solids or cuttings are produced from drilling equipment, they are coated in drilling liquid. When those cuttings are shaken over shale shaker screens, the screen is able to capture all of the solid particles and allow any excess mud to drip through the screen where it can then be deposited back into the tank.

What are the different Components of Shale Shaker Screen?

Screen Frame

Much like a canvas for painting a screen has to be supported on a frame in order to do its job, this frame differs between manufacturers in both material and shape. Screen frames can be made from materials such as, square steel tubing, flat steel sheets, plastic type composites or they can just be supported on the ends with strips of steel (similar idea to a scroll).

These frames consist of a rectangular shaped outer perimeter which is divided into small individual inner panels. These smaller panels differ in shape from manufacturer to manufacturer and have been known to come in shapes such as square, hexagonal, rectangular and even triangular.

Screen Mesh

Just like thread is woven together to create cloth, metal wire can be woven to create a metal cloth. Screen Mesh has evolved over many years of competitive screen manufacturing resulting in very thin yet strong cloth designed to maximize screen life and conductance as well as to provide a consistent cut point.

To increase the conductance of a mesh screen you have to minimize the amount of material.

in the way, this is done by either reducing the wire diameter or weaving the cloth to produce rectangular openings.

Rectangular openings increase the screens conductance while minimizing the effect on its cut point where as square openings provide a more consistent cut point but offer a lower conductance.

Binding Agent

The binding agent is the material used to bind the mesh to the screen frame, this is where the angling mechanism plays an important part. it is designed to maximize adhesion to both materials while being able to handle high heat, strong vibration, abrasive cuttings and corrosive drilling fluids.

Screen Technology

One of the more recent advances in oilfield screen technology has brought us the “3D screen”, this technology is an innovative method for increasing the screening area of a shale shaker without the need to build larger machines.

When seen from the side these screens look like corrugated cardboard, having a flat bottom and wave like shapes on top.

These waves are designed to increase the surface area of the screen panel by building up instead of out, thereby maximizing the surface area of the screen without the need to build larger shaker screens and in turn larger, heavier and more expensive shakers.