What Are Mud Tanks

A mud tank is an open-top container that is made of square-shaped steel tubes and plates with a cone-shaped bottom. These are used to mix and store drilling fluid on a drilling rig or for boring operations. The earliest concept of a mud tank was made by digging pits into the earth and using them to store products. For that reason, they can also be referred to as mud pits.

The Role of Mud Tanks in the Oil and Gas Industry

Mud tanks are able to mix, treat, and store drilling fluids, which makes them extremely important to the oil and gas industries. They are also used in applications to remove unwanted solids and sediments from the drilling and boring systems. 

Bored Piling Mud System

Mud tanks have different capacities for different storage functions attached to the oil and gas industries. For land rigs, mud tanks have an estimated capacity of 240 barrels.

The Role of Mud Tanks in Solids Control

Solids control is a method of separating the solids and sediments from the drilling fluid. The solid substances are carried out of the drilling fluid with the help of drill bits. Generally, a solids control system consists of the following components:

• Mud tank

• Shale Shaker

• Vacuum degasser

• Desander

• Desilter

• Centrifuge 

• Mud agitator

• Vertical slurry pump

The shale shaker is used to separate big solids while the desander separates relatively smaller solids. The desilter also segregates smaller kinds of solids from the drilling fluid. The vacuum degasser separates air from the drilling fluid. The centrifugal pump is used to move this drilling fluid from one component into another for further purification. The vertical slurry pump is used to pump the drilling fluid up to the centrifuge. The mud pump is used to pump the drilling fluids from the mud tank into the borehole after it is treated by centrifuge.

This circulation process repeats as a cycle. Normally the shale shaker, the vacuum degasser, and the desander are mounted together on the same mud tank. The desilter and the centrifuge are mounted on the second tank.

The number of mud tanks that are needed on a drilling rig depends on:

1. The depth of the well, and

2. The amount of mud that requires drilling

Ironclad Environmental Solutions provides 10,080 gallon (240 bbl) open-top mud storage tanks, which are the top-performing solution for the oil and gas industries. With their sloped V-shaped bottoms for easy drainage, smooth interiors, top-mounted sidewall support braces, and durable one-quarter-inch steel-plate floors, these mud tanks make solids control extremely reliable and convenient.

All our mud tanks meet the highest standards of safety inspections and offer highly efficient containment and treatment solutions for your drilling projects.

Ironclad Environmental Solutions also offers 24/7 personalized service throughout the year. We guarantee a rapid response, every time. Additionally, we also offer cleaning and repair services to make the return process easy and convenient. We have equipment ready to be rented at different locations across the United States, so you can receive them at your project sites quickly.