Mud agitator explained

A Mud Agitator is used in surface mud systems to suspend solids and maintain homogeneous mixture throughout the system. A mechanical agitator is driven by an explosion-proof motor, coupled to a gear box that drives the impeller shaft. The impellers (turbines) transform mechanical power into fluid circulation or agitation. The objective is to obtain a uniform suspension of all solids.^[1]

Types of Agitator Mounting

• Horizontally mounted agitator
• Vertically mounted agitator^[2]

Types of agitating shaft seal

• Mechanical seal
• Packing seal^[3]

Types of Agitator Impellers

• Radial Flow Impeller. Figure 1 shows a radial flow created by the impellers wherein the circulation is predominantly horizontal.
• Axial Flow Impellers. Figure 2 shows an axial flow created by the impellers wherein the circulation is predominantly axial fluid movement.

Types of Impeller Blades

• Flat blade impeller
• Canted blade impeller
• Contour blade impeller

Notes

1. Drilling Fluids Processing Handbook
2. News: High quality mud agitator selection. Aipu solids control. May 11, 2014. April 17, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140419014909/http://www.aipusolidscontrol.com/high-quality-mud-agitators/. April 19, 2014. dead.
3. News: Well drilling mud agitator.