VACU-FLO DEGASSER
There are three major components of a degasser that must be present for efficient separation of gas from drilling mud. These are:
- Vacuum environment
- Increased leaf/baffle area
- impact/turbulence of the fluid
Derrick's Vacu-Flo degasser features all three. Designed with a more efficient vertical tank design than traditional horizontal degassers, the Vacu-Flo significantly increases gas/mud separation while experiencing no increase in vessel size, tank space requirements, unit weight, or reconfiguration of pit arrangement. Its vacuum environment allows bubbles to surface from fluid more rapidly while increased surface area of the baffles enables 1200 GPM of fluid to be processed.
The Vacu-Flo degasser utilizes a 5 HP vacuum pump, capable of pulling 29"Hg, to lift mud into the degassing chamber where decreased pressure allows the gas bubbles to separate from the fluid more rapidly. Inside the chamber, unwanted formation gasses are removed and then transported by the vacuum pump into the circular ports. The vacuum increases as the mud level gets lower, thus allowing mud tank levels to be maintained without effecting flow rate. As a safety precaution, the vacuum is drawn from the top of the tank to prevent a gas pocket from forming. Stacked leaf arrangement allows superior gas/liquid separation. Vacuum pump eliminates remixing and inefficient cyclonic reseparations.
The Vacu-Flo degasser features a stacked, corrugated fiberglass leaf arrangement with multiple feed ports to provide higher fluid impact and increased baffle area. This additional surface area allows for thinner layers of mud dispersion and more liquid to be spread across the baffle, resulting in increased gas separation. The unique baffle design prevents any obstruction of the baffle area by drill solids or other foreign objects.
Inside the degassing chamber mud is forced through circular ports at a high velocity before being impacted against the baffle. The resulting forceful impact combined with increased turbulence significantly aids in separating gas bubbles from the drilling mud.