Numerical studies on drilling fluid through screen under vibration and negative pressure

Purpose This research is based on a new drilling fluid circulation treatment device, namely, a pulsating negative pressure shale shaker. The purpose of this paper is to obtain the combination of working parameters suitable for a pulsating negative pressure shale shaker through simulation. Design/methodology/approach In this work, a series of numerical simulation studies are carried out on the flow law of drilling fluid under vibration and negative pressure conditions, especially the flow of drilling fluid through a moving screen. Then, based on the numerical calculation results, a full-screen porous media model was established to simulate the flow of drilling fluid. Findings The results show that a larger amplitude, higher vibration frequency, larger inlet velocity and higher negative pressure peak can effectively reduce the difficulty of drilling fluid screening and increase the amount of screening. In addition, in order to solve the problem that it is difficult to predict the processing capacity of a shale shaker in drilling engineering practice, a complete method of estimating the processing capacity by using a liquid endpoint is creatively proposed from the micro and macro perspectives. Originality/value The results have important guiding significance for the selection of structural design parameters and rational use of equipment. The parameters such as the distribution of drilling fluid on the screen surface and the position of the liquid endpoint were obtained, which laid a foundation for predicting the handling capacity of the shaker.