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Correct selection and use of solids-control equipment are essential in not only maintaining drilling fluid at its desired properties but also in avoiding the generation of unnecessary waste streams during drilling.Since the early 1930s, the shale shaker has been the dominant device for primary-solids removal. Additional equipment (e.g., desilters, desanders, and centrifuges) was often used in the past to maintain proper solids control, but experience in recent years has demonstrated that, although dependent on correct operational procedures, several types of shale shakers have sufficient performance to act as the sole solids-control devices without the use of desanders and desilters.Despite often being the only measure for solids removal, the selection of shale shakers, the screening, and the establishment of operational procedures are often based on biased information (Dahl et al. 2006). In addition, it has been recognized that methods and criteria for the verification of shale shakers have not been sufficiently qualified and standardized. To address this, a multidisciplinary verification test of various solids-control concepts has been conducted. The objective of the test has been to verify equipment performance in a standardized, onshore test facility related to Oil-mist and vapor emission Ventilation (to obtain a satisfactory working environment) Flow-handling capacity with various drilling fluids Leakage rate (i.e., the volume of fluid bypassing the filtration screen)Lost-circulation-material feature Noise and vibration level Maintenance and equipment robustness Feature for running lost-circulation-material reclamation The tests were all planned and run in close cooperation with the equipment suppliers to ensure test-objective alignment. Several findings were made throughout the test period that provided vital information for design improvements and increased the industry's competence with respect to solids control.

Introduction Statoil has cooperated with Hunting Engineering Ltd. to establish a simulation software tool applicable to offshore industry needs. The software has been named AIMLO (Analysis of Installation Manning Logistics and Operations). The purpose of this paper is to show that a simulation model of this type can be used to determine how manpower and installation productivity are affected by: Installation characteristics. including: Type of equipment installed Criticality of main functions Failure modes and Mean Time Between Failures Events/Failures that require an immediate visit Maximum number of men allowed on the platform Manpower characteristics, including: Location of the maintenance crew Each man's skills Shift patterns Logistics support levels. including: Alternative transportation routes and times Availability of a helicopter Operating and maintenance policies, including: Maintenance strategy Type, amount and frequency of workload activities Required skills and seniorities Other activities Control philosophy Intervention philosophy The model results can make a significant contribution to the design and policy decisions which impact on the operational availability and whole life cost of an installation. The paper is presented in two parts. The first part describes the application of the model to a specific project. For commercial reasons the quantitative information derived during this study is omitted from the paper. The second part describes the origins and nature of the simulation technique, and how it may be developed in the future. A glossary of terms is given at the end of the paper. P. 189^

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Magnetic contamination of drilling fluid can impact the accuracy of a directional survey by shielding the magnetic field. Additionally, this contamination, such as swarf or finer magnetic particles, can agglomerate on the downhole tool or BOP and cause tool failure in the worst-case scenario. Thus, it is necessary to measure the magnetic content of drilling fluid. However, there is no recommended practice in API or ISO for this purpose. A simple experimental setup and measurement system was developed that can be easily deployed in the rig site to measure the magnetic contamination of drilling fluid. 47 drilling fluid samples were collected from a multilateral production well drilled with a semi-submersible drilling rig located in one of the North Sea's fields. The magnetic content of these samples was measured using the established method, and the microstructure of the collected content was analyzed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and x-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). Ditch magnets are commonly installed in the flowline on the rig to remove the swarf and finer magnetic particles, if the design is optimized. Ditch magnet measurement data of the well that the drilling fluid samples were collected from is presented. Operational details and common factors that might increase the production of the magnetic content were also investigated. By comparing the measured magnetic contamination of the drilling fluid samples and ditch magnet measurement data, it was possible to evaluate the efficiency of the ditch magnet system.