This page is the pump-duty reference for drilling-fluid, solids-control and drilling-waste-management service for drilling-fluid, solids-control and drilling-waste-management pump duties. The purpose is not to list pump names. The purpose is to connect each pump duty to the engineering variable that decides whether the surface system actually performs: head, flow, suction condition, solids loading, residence time, dilution penalty, air demand and disposal route.
engineering map
focuses on the five duties with the clearest engineering advantage for SC DrillTech: hydrocyclone feed, centrifuge feed and DWM transfer. Each article includes formulas, worked examples, acceptance checks and field troubleshooting logic.
Core calculations used across the engineering reference
| Calculation | Formula | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Pressure to head | Head (ft) = psi × 2.31 / SG | Hydrocyclone feed pump checks |
| Hydraulic horsepower | HP = gpm × head(ft) × SG / 3960 | Motor and pump duty screening |
| Relative residence effect | Residence effect ∝ process volume / feed rate | Centrifuge feed stability |
| Dilution penalty | Total volume = original waste + added liquid | Cuttings disposal pump decisions |
| Batch transfer rate | Practical transfer = batch volume × cycles/hr × success factor | Air-operated solids transfer |
Why this engineering reference is different
A normal pump article explains pump types. This engineering reference explains what the pump does to the drilling-fluid or waste-management process. A desander feed pump is judged by cone energy and underflow pattern. A centrifuge feed pump is judged by feed stability and separation response. A cuttings disposal pump is judged by whether the material should be pumped, conveyed, vacuum-transferred or handled mechanically.
Field Acceptance Checks
Accept a pump duty only when measured flow, head or pressure, suction condition, solids loading, fluid behavior and downstream process response are recorded together.
Related reading
How to read a pump duty in the mud system
A pump in drilling-fluid service should be reviewed as part of a process loop. The same centrifugal pump can be acceptable as a mud-transfer unit and unacceptable as a hydrocyclone feed pump if it cannot hold the required manifold pressure. The same positive-displacement pump can protect feed stability and still be wrong if it shears polymer, overloads a hose route or introduces pulsation into a treatment unit.
| Duty family | Primary engineering variable | Field evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Hydrocyclone feed | Head at the cone manifold | Stable pressure, spray pattern and underflow condition. |
| Centrifuge feed | Stable controllable flow | Consistent feed rate, torque response and centrate/cake result. |
| Waste transfer | Material state and route reliability | No repeated blockage, unsafe cleaning or hidden dilution. |
| Chemical dosing | Calibrated active dose | Measured pump output and observed process response. |
