Weekly · Technical Field Insights · Nov 2026 · W15 · 7 min read

KPIs that prove it: solids control in the operator’s language

You know the equipment is performing. The operator paying for it needs to know too — in their language, which is cost, risk and time, not G-force and cut points. This week: the handful of key performance indicators that translate solids-control engineering into numbers an operator acts on, and how to report them so your work is visible.

Written by Othman Soliman — Founder, SC DrillTech · 26+ years in solids control, drilling fluids & waste management. Grounded in field performance reporting.

Engineering that nobody sees does not get funded

Solids control is a cost centre that quietly saves far more than it spends — but only if someone can see the saving. The engineer who reports "the shakers are running well" gets no credit and no budget. The one who reports "we held LGS at 5% and cut dilution spend by X" gets both. KPIs are the translation layer: they convert the technical work of the last three months into the three things an operator actually manages — cost, risk and time.

The KPIs that matter

Solids-removal efficiency (SRE) — the mass-balance number. It is the single best proxy for how hard the equipment is working and how much dilution it is saving.
LGS concentration vs target — held at 4–6%? A flat LGS trend proves control; a rising one is an early warning the operator can act on before it costs mud.
Dilution volume & mud cost per interval — the direct money number. Falling dilution for the same footage is a saving anyone understands.
Cost per barrel of drilled solids removed — ties equipment and dilution spend to output; lets you compare wells and justify capacity.
Waste volume & haul-off reduction — tonnes not hauled, from the waste mass balance, with the compliance (ROC) numbers attached.
ECD stability / mud-related NPT — the risk-and-time number: consistent mud properties mean fewer losses, fewer stuck-pipe events, less non-productive time.

Report the trend, not the tour

A single reading is noise; the trend is signal — the same lesson as the rheology issue, applied to reporting. An operator does not want twelve tour sheets; they want to see LGS flat across the section, dilution falling, SRE holding above target, and NPT low. Present the KPIs as trends over the interval or the well, with the target line drawn in, so performance and drift are visible at a glance. The graph that shows LGS pinned to target while footage climbs is worth more than any paragraph.

Tie every KPI to money or risk

Each KPI should answer "so what?" in the operator's terms. SRE at 85% → this many barrels of dilution avoided → this much mud spend saved. LGS held at 5% → stable rheology → fewer losses and less NPT. Haul-off down 70% → this tonnage not shipped → this disposal cost avoided plus a cleaner compliance record. A KPI that does not connect to cost, risk or time is a vanity metric; one that does is a budget justification. Always report the engineering number and its consequence.

The takeaway

KPIs are how solids-control engineering becomes visible to the people who fund it. Pick the handful that map to cost, risk and time — SRE, LGS vs target, dilution and mud cost, cost per barrel removed, haul-off reduction, and mud-related NPT — report them as trends against targets, and always tie each one to its consequence in money or risk. Do that and your work stops being an invisible cost and becomes a documented, fundable saving. Proven performance, reported in the operator's language.

Educational field guidance based on standard performance-reporting practice. KPI targets depend on well, mud and program — verify against your own operation and the operator's metrics before reporting.

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This brief is the field summary. For the full reference, see: