During drilling, oil and gas can come out of the oil well under high pressure, and the impacts can be devastating if the operators don’t control the pressure. A blowout preventer is a device that can handle the uncontrollable release of natural gas and crude oil from the oil well to ensure safety. It has valves that can close the oil well.
Degassers help remove the entrained gas within the drilling fluid or mud to reduce hydrostatic pressure during drilling. Some of these gases include corrosive oxygen and hydrogen sulfide. There are two types of degassers: centrifugal and vacuum degassers. The latter is more efficient than centrifugal degassers.
Mud pumps are large, reciprocating pumps that produce pressure to move and circulate fluid through an oil drill rig system. It dispenses the liquid down towards the drill string and back to the annulus under high pressures. On the other hand, a mud cleaner helps to remove drilled solids from the mud.
A shale shaker helps separate the oil well’s cuttings from the drilling fluid by running the shales through a vibrating screen. This allows the fluid to flow back into the well for reuse. Reusing the drilling fluid reduces the compliance and regulatory costs since operators don’t have to dispose of the liquid, helping to save money.