How to Choose a Mud Pump for Drilling Wells
A Mud Pump is a machine that delivers flushing fluid such as mud or water to the borehole during the drilling process.
Mud pump is an important component of drilling machinery and equipment. Its main function is to inject mud into the well using the drill bit during drilling, which plays a role in cooling the drill bit, cleaning drilling tools, fixing the wellbore wall, driving drilling, and bringing rock cuttings back to the surface after drilling. In commonly used positive circulation drilling machinery, the mud pump, under a certain pressure, sends the ground flushing medium - clear water, mud, or polymer flushing fluid - directly to the bottom of the drill bit through high-pressure hoses, faucets, and drill string holes to cool the drill bit, remove chips, and transport them to the ground. The commonly used mud pumps are piston or plunger type. The crankshaft of the pump is driven by a power machine to rotate, and the crankshaft drives the piston or plunger to move back and forth in the pump cylinder through the crosshead. Under the alternating action of the suction and discharge valves, the washing solution is pressurized and circulated.
Performance parameters of mud pump
The two main parameters of mud pump performance are displacement and pressure. The displacement is calculated by discharging a few liters per minute, and it is related to the drilling diameter and the speed required for the flushing fluid to return from the bottom of the hole, that is, the larger the hole diameter, the greater the required displacement. The speed of the flushing fluid returning upwards is required to timely wash away the rock cuttings and powder cut by the drill bit from the bottom of the hole, and reliably carry them to the surface. When drilling geological cores, the rising speed is generally around 0.4~1m/min. The pressure of the pump depends on the depth of the borehole, the resistance of the channel through which the washing solution flows, and the properties of the washing solution being transported. The deeper the drilling, the greater the pipeline resistance and the higher the required pressure. As the diameter and depth of the wellbore change, it is required to adjust the pump displacement at any time. To change the displacement, install a gearbox in the pump mechanism or adjust its speed through a hydraulic motor. In order to accurately grasp the changes in pump pressure and displacement, a flow meter and pressure gauge should be installed on the mud pump, so that the driller can understand the operation of the pump at any time, and judge whether the situation in the hole is normal through pressure changes to prevent accidents in the hole.
