Vortex BBS
Rapid, effective product mixing.
Purchasing drilling mud additives in bulk bags offers a price saving benefit to operators and oil companies, but attempting to mix mud additives directly from bulk bags without the proper installed equipment can present multiple safety and productivity issues.
The Alfa Laval Vortex BBS (Bulk Bag System) provides a safe, effective and adaptable method of mixing mud additives into the active mud system – directly from large bulk bags. The handling system rapidly mixes mud additives directly from bulk bags as fast as one ton per minute with little to no dusting. Its simple yet robust design stands up to demanding oil field conditions, and its versatility allows for a high degree of configuration customization to fit numerous installation demands - such as limited overhead clearance or footprint space.
Basic equipment
The Alfa Laval Vortex BBS consists of an Alfa Laval Vortex Shear-Mixer or mixing eductor, linked to a large heavy-duty hopper framework, specially engineered to accommodate bulk bags up to three tons.
The hopper can be equipped with a bag puncturing spike for disposable bags or a spout access hatch for reusable style bags. A uniquely designed bulk bag spreader bar allows easy lifting and docking of bulk bags into the hopper using a crane or forklift and prevents the bag from folding in on itself during unloading. A feed pump is also required which can be added as an option at the time of purchase.
Features
- Simple, robust design, no moving parts
- Low maintenance
- Rapid, effective mixing of product from large bulk bags
- Highly customizable to fit specific rig applications
- For use with disposable or reusable bulk bags
- Complete bag unloading with minimal dust
How it works
Using the special bulk bag spreader bar, a bulk bag of mud additives can be lifted and docked onto the hopper framework where it is opened via a puncturing spike for disposable bag or via a spout access hatch for reusable bag.
Once the bag is docked, drilling mud is pumped through the mixer, generating a strong vacuum. The feed valve which is located in the piping between the hopper base and the mixer can then be opened, allowing additives to be drawn at a very high rate – directly from the bulk bag and sheared into the circulating drilling mud. Once the bulk bag is empty, it can be lifted out of the hopper framework and the process can be repeated until all of the required mud additives are mixed into the system.