Solids control system, TBM slurry treatment plant, HDD mud recycling system, Drilling mud system-KOSUN

As environmental mandates for Zero Liquid Discharge and operational efficiency intensify in 2026, the industry is rapidly transitioning from obsolete earthen pits to professional Drilling Waste Management solutions. Whether in deep-well oil & gas exploration, Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD), or urban piling projects, modern complexities demand advanced Mud Circulation and Solids Control Systems. A professional Liquid Mud Plant (LMP)—also known as a Centralized Mud Support Station—has evolved into a mission-critical infrastructure for modern engineering.

1. Spatial Revolution: Vertical Tank Farms and Modular Solids Control Units

Diverging from traditional horizontal layouts that consume excessive land, KOSUN’s Vertical Mud Tank architecture redefines site footprint efficiency, reducing land occupation by over 40%. This compact design is specifically engineered for space-constrained urban construction and high-cost job sites. Furthermore, the Modular Mud Treatment System allows for rapid assembly and seamless relocation, providing the agility required for Mobile Mud Plant operations and fast-track project deployments.

2. Process Integration: From Precision Blending to Advanced Cuttings Management

Modern LMPs are far more than mere Mud Storage Tank Farms; they function as intelligent, closed-loop Solid-Liquid Separation hubs:

• Smart Blending & Bulk Storage: Automated agitation and mixing units ensure precise control over weighted mud and rheological properties, maintaining optimal fluid performance for the borehole.
• High-Efficiency Solids Control: By integrating Dryer Shakers, Desanders, Desilters, and Decanter Centrifuges, the system aggressively removes harmful drill solids. This facilitates high-ratio Drilling Fluid Recovery, drastically slashing the procurement costs of new mud materials.
• Cuttings Management & Volume Reduction: Utilizing Filter Presses or Vertical Cuttings Dryers for deep dewatering, the plant transforms waste sludge into low-moisture dry cakes. This process is the definitive pathway to achieving Zero Discharge and streamlining waste logistics.

3. Strategic Value: Synergizing Economic Efficiency with Environmental Compliance

Implementing a Centralized Mud Treatment Station yields multifaceted dividends: it optimizes logistics, conserves chemical additives, and reduces labor overhead. By maintaining stable fluid properties, the KOSUN LMP not only ensures compliance with the most stringent 2026 Environmental Regulations but also minimizes downhole risks and enhances drilling speed.

In the era of Sustainable Drilling, adopting advanced Drilling Waste Management technology is no longer an operational cost—it is a strategic investment in long-term profitability and “Green Construction” leadership.

As urban infrastructure expands, Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) faces dual challenges: rising operational costs and environmental responsibilities. Proper mud management is crucial—ineffective treatment compromises drilling efficiency, increases waste disposal expenses, and risks regulatory non-compliance.

KOSUN Mud Recycling System Proven Expertise in Trenchless Drilling

With over 30 years of solids control experience, KOSUN provides reliable HDD mud recycling solutions engineered for challenging conditions. Our systems effectively handle high-viscosity fluids and fine particle separation, ensuring optimal fluid recovery even in complex geologies.

The recently launched KSMR series—covering 200 to 1000 GPM capacities—delivers tailored performance for projects of any scale. Each system integrates field-proven components: shale shakers, desanders, centrifuges, and intelligent mud tanks that work in concert to maintain fluid integrity and maximize reuse.

KOSUN Mud Recycling System Engineered for Real-World Demands

From congested urban sites to sensitive environmental crossings, KOSUN systems maintain consistent performance where it matters most. By enabling closed-loop fluid management, we help contractors reduce fresh mud consumption by up to 60%, minimize waste volumes, and maintain full compliance throughout the drilling process.

KOSUN Mud Recycling Systems Sustainable Drilling and Operational Simplicity

As your partner in responsible drilling, KOSUN combines advanced separation technology with practical operational design. Our solutions not only protect your budget through significant cost savings, but also safeguard project timelines and environmental commitments.

Ready to optimize your next HDD project? Contact KOSUN for a customized mud management solution that balances efficiency, economy, and compliance

In solid-liquid separation operations across industries such as oil drilling and chemical environmental protection, the ability to process materials continuously and efficiently while maintaining stable separation results is key to increasing capacity and controlling costs. The Decanter Centrifuge (Horizontal Spiral Discharge Sedimentation Centrifuge) developed by KOSUN Machinery, with its mature centrifugal sedimentation technology and innovative structural design, has become core equipment for processing multi-medium suspensions. It plays an irreplaceable role, particularly in drilling mud purification and industrial sludge dewatering.

The core advantages of the KOSUN Decanter Centrifuge stem from precise centrifugal sedimentation principles and user-centric structural design. By leveraging centrifugal force to achieve high-efficiency separation of microscopic particles from the liquid phase, it can accurately capture and separate solid particles with a diameter ≥2μm. After processing, the mud regains its ideal viscosity and specific gravity, enabling efficient recycling and significantly reducing the cost of new mud procurement and the pressure of waste discharge.

As continuous-duty equipment, it utilizes a “Bowl-Scroll” collaborative operation mode. Once the suspension enters via the feed pipe, solid particles rapidly settle on the inner wall of the bowl under centrifugal force. They are then continuously pushed to the discharge port by the screw conveyor (scroll), while the clarified liquid phase is directed out through the overflow port. This continuous separation process requires no downtime, significantly enhancing operational efficiency.

Durability and intelligent design further highlight the product’s competitiveness. Key components of the KOSUN Decanter Centrifuge, such as the bowl and screw conveyor, are manufactured from high-quality stainless steel. Critical wear-prone areas are sprayed with tungsten carbide wear-resistant coatings or embedded with hard alloy inserts, effectively improving corrosion and wear resistance to extend service life. For complex drilling conditions, it is equipped with an explosion-proof VFD (Variable Frequency Drive) control system, allowing for stepless adjustment of the separation factor. This flexibility enables the equipment to adapt to suspensions of various concentrations, ensuring operational stability. Furthermore, the specialized adjustable overflow port design reduces energy consumption by more than 15% compared to similar products, further lowering operation and maintenance costs.

With its stable performance, the KOSUN Decanter Centrifuge is widely used in domestic and international oil drilling, coal chemical industries, and more. In overseas drilling projects, its explosion-proof design and multi-medium adaptability meet the stringent operational standards of different regions. The processed drilling waste consistently meets local environmental discharge requirements, making it one of KOSUN Machinery’s flagship products for international market expansion. From onshore oilfields to industrial wastewater treatment sites, this equipment provides customized solutions for solid-liquid separation needs with its hallmarks of “High Efficiency, Stability, Reliability, and Energy Saving.”

In engineering fields such as urban rail transit, mine drilling, municipal construction, and river dredging, the efficient treatment of slurry mixtures is both a key factor in ensuring construction efficiency and a core link in practicing environmental requirements. KOSUN has deeply cultivated the R&D and production of solid-liquid separation equipment for over thirty years. The KOSUN KD Series Slurry Separation System has become a benchmark in slurry treatment due to its modular design, high-efficiency separation performance, and wide adaptability. This product series not only covers numerous major domestic projects but is also exported to multiple countries worldwide, gaining broad market recognition for its stable performance.

KOSUN KD Series Slurry Plant Core Advantages of Three Stage Processing and Modular Integration

The core strength of the KD series originates from its scientific three-stage treatment architecture and modular integrated design. The system primarily consists of three major parts: the scalping shaker module, the desanding module, and the desilting module, forming a complete “pre-treatment, core separation, and fine purification” workflow.

The scalping shaker module acts as a pre-screening unit, rapidly removing coarse particles to reduce the load on downstream equipment. The desanding module, equipped with hydrocyclones and fine-mesh vibration screens, focuses on eliminating smaller sand particles. The desilting module features desilting cyclones for precise separation based on site requirements. This modular structure strictly follows standard container dimensions and includes foldable operating platforms, which significantly reduce the site footprint and facilitate transport and installation. It supports both skid-mounted integration and trailer-mounted mobility to quickly adapt to diverse operational scenarios such as tunneling, piling, and dredging.

KOSUN KD Series Slurry Plant Technical Characteristics and Extreme Environment Adaptability

Technical features of the KOSUN KD series demonstrate exceptional scenario adaptability and operational stability. The system is equipped with adjustable vibratory screens where the G-force, screen deck angle, and mesh size can be flexibly tuned to handle material from different geological formations. KOSUN KD Series Slurry Separation System core components are made of anti-corrosion and wear-resistant materials treated with multiple processes, enabling them to withstand harsh conditions in mines and tunnels while effectively extending service life and reducing failure rates. To suit global construction sites, the system supports various electrical power specifications and can operate with independent generator sets in extreme conditions to ensure uninterrupted construction.

KOSUN KD Series Slurry Plant Application Scenarios Across Four Core Engineering Sectors

Extensive application cases have verified the core value of the KD series. The KOSUN KD Series Slurry Separation System has been successfully applied in four major areas:

Slurry Balance Shield TBM Treatment provides slurry purification for urban subway tunneling.

Bored Piling Construction Slurry Treatment adapting to mud produced by rotary rigs, percussion drills, and other equipment.

Diaphragm Wall Construction Slurry Treatment supporting trenching operations for hydromills and similar machinery.

Trenchless Construction Slurry Treatment covering Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) and slurry pipe jacking processes.

KOSUN KD Series Slurry Plant Product Diversity for Different Project Scales

Product diversification is the key to matching different engineering scales. The KOSUN KD Series Slurry Separation System currently offers models including KD-50, KD-100, and KD-200, with processing capacities ranging from 50 to 200 m³/h, allowing customers to select models flexibly based on project volume.

As core equipment in the field of engineering environmental protection, the KOSUN KD Series Slurry Separation System provides efficient and eco-friendly slurry treatment solutions through scientific design and stable performance. In the future, as global environmental requirements for construction continue to rise, the KD series will continue to leverage its technical advantages to empower domestic infrastructure while helping KOSUN deepen international cooperation and contributing to Chinese equipment strength to global environmental upgrades.

In oil drilling, an efficient solids control system is essential for operational continuity and drilling fluid recycling. KOSUN leverages its R&D expertise to provide high-performance integrated solutions that ensure precise solid-liquid separation and reduced operational costs.

1. The First Line: Solids Control Shale Shaker

The shale shaker is the primary stage of separation, filtering out large cuttings (>75μm). This single process removes over 50% of solid impurities, significantly reducing the load on downstream equipment. KOSUN’s shale shakers feature optimized screen materials and frequency control, ensuring durability and stability in high-intensity environments.

2. Precision Cleaning: Solids Control Desander & Desilter

Following the shaker, these hydrocyclone-based units target finer particles:

• Desander: Removes sand particles between 44–75μm.
• Desilter: Targets silt particles between 15–44μm.
  Kosun utilizes a modular design, allowing these units to be integrated into a compact “Sand-Silt” cleaner. This saves space and prevents fine particles from compromising the rheological properties of the drilling fluid.

3. Deep Purification: Solids Control Decanter Centrifuge

For ultra-fine solids (<15μm) and colloidal substances, the centrifuge uses high-speed rotation for deep separation. Crucially, it facilitates the recovery of weighting materials (such as barite), significantly lowering material costs while maintaining mud density.

4. System Support: Solids Control Auxiliary Equipment

A stable system requires seamless coordination. Kosun provides a complete suite of auxiliary tools:

• Mud Agitators: Keep fluids in suspension and prevent tank settling.
• Sand & Shear Pumps: Provide reliable power and optimize polymer drilling fluid performance.
• Mud Tanks: Integrated storage with precise level monitoring for real-time fluid management.

Conclusion

True solids control efficiency stems from the scientific sequence of Shale Shaker → Desander → Desilter → Decanter Centrifuge. By integrating intelligent monitoring with robust hardware, Xi’an Kosun delivers flexible, reliable solutions tailored to any formation condition, driving high-quality development in the global drilling industry.

With the surge in urban infrastructure projects—such as shield tunneling, deep piling, and trenchless piping—managing the massive volumes of construction slurry has become critical for project timelines and environmental compliance. Slurry separation system have emerged as the industry-standard solution for efficient solid-liquid separation.

Technical Core: Multi-Stage Solid-Liquid Separation Process

The slurry separation system is an integrated system of solids control units designed for slurry recycling and waste minimization:

Pre-treatment: Scalping screens remove bulk gravel and clay clumps to protect downstream equipment.

Sand & Silt Removal: Desander and desilter hydrocyclones utilize centrifugal force to separate medium-to-fine particles.

Dewatering: For high-clay slurry, chemical conditioning promotes flocculation. Decanter centrifuges or filter presses then produce low-moisture “filter cakes” for easy disposal.

Fluid Reuse: Purified liquid is pumped back for immediate reuse, maintaining a closed-loop operation.

Professional Alignment with Industry Application Scenarios

Slurry separation system offer high adaptability across four core underground engineering sectors:

Slurry Balance Shield (TBM): Handles high flow rates while precisely controlling density and viscosity to maintain face pressure.

Bored Piling: Provides compact, rapid-deployment solutions for rotary, reverse circulation, and impact drilling.

Diaphragm Walls: Supports trenching with hydraulic grabs or cutters, ensuring slurry stability and trench quality.

Trenchless Construction: Rapidly purifies slurry in HDD and pipe jacking to minimize urban environmental impact.

Value Realization: Compliance and Cost Optimization

Environmental Benefits: Slurry separation system achieves waste minimization at the source, eliminating the pollution risks of traditional mud pits and meeting green construction standards.

Economic Benefits: Recycling significantly cuts costs for fresh water and bentonite. Additionally, dewatered filter cakes reduce waste volume and transportation fees, enhancing overall efficiency.

The Slurry Separation system is an essential component of modern underground engineering. Optimal system selection requires a scientific analysis of the excavation strata to balance performance and cost-effectiveness. KOSUN provides customized designs tailored to global geological conditions and specific onsite requirements.

As oil and gas exploration continues to advance into deep, ultra-deep, and complex operating conditions, the demands for drilling efficiency, safety, and environmental protection have significantly increased. As a crucial component of the overall drilling solid control system, the Liquid Mud Plant has become key infrastructure for ensuring a stable supply of drilling fluid, reducing operational costs, and enhancing environmental protection levels.

A Liquid Mud Plant is a specialized system for the storage, preparation (mixing), circulation, weighting, conditioning, and transportation of drilling fluid. It typically consists of several functional areas: drilling mud storage area (tank system), drilling mud preparation and weighting system, solid control and circulation treatment devices, pumping and transportation system, and automated monitoring and safety control systems. In onshore drilling, offshore platforms, centralized mud supply bases, and the production systems of oilfield service companies, the mud station acts as a “logistics center,” ensuring different well sites can obtain stable, high-quality drilling fluid on demand.

Core Functions of a Liquid Mud Plant

Drilling Fluid Storage: The mud station is equipped with multiple tanks of different capacities and functions for the segregated storage of water-based mud (WBM), oil-based mud (OBM), high-density mud, completion fluids, etc. These tanks typically feature: anti-corrosion inner walls, heating coils, level monitoring, overflow prevention and safety protection, and a movable or skid-mounted structure.

Drilling Fluid Preparation and Mixing: According to well condition requirements, the mud station can rapidly complete the large-scale pre-mixing and conditioning of drilling fluid, including: adding weighting agents (barite, hematite), adding chemical additives, maintaining rheological properties, and high-capacity shear mixing. An efficient preparation system can significantly reduce waiting time at the well site and improve operational efficiency.

Drilling Fluid Circulation and Solid Control: By configuring solid control equipment such as shale shakers, desanders, desilters, and centrifuges, the system achieves: solid phase control, solid-liquid separation, removal of suspended solids, and optimization and reuse of mud properties. This is of great significance for reducing drilling costs, extending equipment life, and minimizing waste discharge.

Drilling Fluid Pumping and Transportation: The mud station uses mud pumps, metering systems, and loading arms to transport the conditioned drilling fluid to: onshore well sites, offshore platforms, tank trucks, vessels, or supply boats. This ensures an efficient “on-call” supply capability.

Modern drilling operations have increasingly stringent requirements for mud performance, cost, and environmental protection. The Liquid Mud Plant maximizes the value of drilling fluid through efficient recovery and recycling, substantially reducing mud consumption and waste disposal costs. A completed mud station enables centralized supply and recycling of oil-based mud, effectively reducing total usage, which lowers construction costs while mitigating safety and environmental risks. The mud station adopts a centralized, large-scale treatment model, allowing for unified pollutant management, control of total discharge volume, reduction of environmental diffusion, and realization of green operations.

Furthermore, a single mud station construction can service multiple wells, resulting in less onsite equipment, a smaller footprint, and no waste accumulation, reducing environmental assessment pressure and construction costs from the source. It also lowers electrical load and lessens reliance on the drilling rig, making drilling operations safer and more efficient. By further optimizing the mud formulation ratio, the mud station can also enhance OBM performance, standardize operational procedures, ensure drilling quality, and provide reliable assurance for accelerating construction efficiency.

Currently, there are mainly three methods to address HDD mud problems: sedimentation, dilution, and mechanical removal.

Sedimentation: One or more mud pits are dug at the entry and exit points of the crossing. The returned mud is channeled into the pits. After a certain period of natural settling, the upper liquid phase is extracted for the mud circulation system, and the bottom solid phase is discarded. Advantages: Simple operation, low cost, low energy consumption; Disadvantages: Large footprint required, slow settling/separation speed, and the bottom solid phase is difficult to clear out.

Dilution: The mud returned from the crossing is collected in mud tanks, and then water, bentonite, and additives are added to adjust the mud properties required for the crossing, aiming to reduce the solid content of the mud. Advantages: Simple method, low cost; Disadvantages: Incomplete solid phase removal.

Mechanical Removal: This method uses a solids control system to separate the solid phase. A solids control system refers to a setup composed of shale shakers, desanders, desilters, desander cleaners, desilter cleaners, horizontal decanter centrifuges, and circulating large tanks, configured according to specific solids control requirements. In most cases, mechanical removal is the most effective and economical method.

As can be seen, the most effective and feasible means of treating mud currently is mechanical removal. For example, the Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) Mud Recycling System produced by Xi’an KOSUN Machinery is an effective mechanical removal solution for solving mud pollution.

The KOSUN Machinery Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) Mud Recycling System uses a multi-stage purification process of “shale shaker + desander + desilter” to efficiently separate solid particles from the mud, achieving over 90% mud recycling and reuse. Specifically, the shale shaker can remove solid particles >1.5mm, the desander can remove solid particles from 0.074mm to 1.5mm, and the desilter can remove solid particles from 0.02mm to 0.074mm. After treatment, the suspended solids in the separated wastewater are ≤50mg/L, allowing it to be directly reused in construction or discharged in compliance with standards; the dried cuttings can be made into road base materials or green planting soil, truly achieving “zero mud pollution discharge”. The system has also passed ISO14001 environmental certification, adapting to strict environmental protection policies.

In addition, the KOSUN Machinery Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) Mud Recycling System features a compact design that significantly reduces the required footprint, allowing it to function fully even in space-constrained construction environments.

The core value of the KOSUN Machinery Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) Mud Recycling System lies in transforming mud from a “polluting waste” into a “recyclable resource.” Through breakthroughs in environmental compliance, cost optimization, and efficiency improvement, the system not only provides a compliant solution for HDD construction but also promotes the green transformation of the trenchless industry.

With the continuous expansion of urban underground space development, trenchless construction technologies such as pipe jacking, horizontal directional drilling (HDD), and large-cross-section rectangular passages have become important methods in municipal engineering. During these construction processes, the stability of mud circulation and the environmental compliance of mud treatment directly affect project quality, construction efficiency, and overall cost. Kosun, leveraging years of experience in manufacturing solid control equipment, introduces professional mud recycling systems for the trenchless industry, helping construction parties improve drilling efficiency, reduce mud loss, and minimize waste slurry discharge, thereby achieving true energy saving and environmental protection.

In pipe jacking projects, especially for large diameters and ultra-long distances, the requirements for mud performance are more stringent. The Kosun mud recycling system can continuously maintain stable mud density and viscosity, balance earth pressure during jacking, reduce formation disturbance, minimize pipeline resistance, and ensure smoother propulsion operations. Simultaneously, multi-stage separation equipment within the system, including shale shakers, desanders, desilters, and centrifuges, effectively separates drill cuttings, increases the reuse rate of the mud, substantially reduces bentonite consumption, and saves significant costs for construction parties.

In the field of horizontal directional drilling (HDD), the HDD mud recycling system designed by Kosun features high-efficiency circulation capabilities, providing clean and stable mud for pilot drilling and reaming operations. This significantly reduces drill string torque and wear, ensuring a stable borehole trajectory. With reduced solids content in the mud, the resistance during pipeline pullback also decreases, leading to a higher success rate for long-distance, large-curvature crossing projects. By minimizing waste slurry discharge, Kosun equipment also helps construction enterprises easily meet environmental compliance requirements.

In the construction of large-cross-section rectangular underground passages, the system likewise achieves high-flow-rate circulation and efficient solid control, preventing mud sedimentation, maintaining excavation face stability, and reducing impact on surface facilities. The combination of mechanized construction and a stable mud system makes tunnel propulsion more efficient and controllable.

The HDD mud recycling system designed by Xi’an Kosun fully integrates the characteristics of directional crossing construction, consolidating equipment such as shale shakers, desanders, desilters, decanter centrifuges, and mud tanks. Utilizing mechanical grading, screening, and solid-liquid separation principles, it achieves high-efficiency purification and recycling of the mud. The treated mud can be directly reused in crossing construction, saving construction costs while reducing waste mud discharge and minimizing environmental impact. Concurrently, Kosun’s systems can be flexibly configured according to different project demands, ensuring stable and efficient mud treatment whether for urban construction or complex terrain operations.

Choosing Kosun’s mud treatment solution not only means improved construction efficiency but also guarantees construction safety and environmental friendliness. With years of technological accumulation and a comprehensive after-sales service system, Kosun assists various directional crossing projects in smooth progression, facilitating the upgrade of mud treatment from traditional methods to mechanized and intelligent solutions, providing robust assurance for urban infrastructure development.

In horizontal directional drilling (HDD) projects, the stability of the drilling fluid (mud) often determines whether construction can proceed smoothly. With the widespread application of trenchless technology in urban pipe networks, power lines, communication engineering, and long-distance transmission projects, high-quality mud circulation and drilling mud processing equipment are no longer optional accessories. They have become core conditions for ensuring project efficiency and meeting environmental standards. For years, Xi’an Kosun has specialized in the research and development of mud treatment systems and solids control equipment, verifying the critical role of their mud recycling systems in practical construction through numerous domestic and international crossing projects.

Optimizing Drilling Efficiency with Advanced Mud Systems

During directional drilling, mud lubricates tools, carries cuttings, and stabilizes the borehole. Declining mud performance leads to issues like increased torque, borehole collapse, and equipment wear. Xi’an Kosun’s mud recycling system uses multi-stage processes including shale shakers, hydrocyclone assemblies, and centrifugal separation to remove cuttings, sand, and fines, keeping the mud within ideal performance. Benefits include smoother drilling, reduced torque, extended tool life, and less downtime for mud changes. Efficient drilling fluid recycling is vital for successful HDD.

Cost Savings and Sustainable Waste Management

The mud recycling system reduces drilling mud materials and disposal costs. Without solids control equipment, daily mud replenishment is needed, which is costly and requires material storage and transport. The system separates solids for reuse, cutting raw material waste. Separated solids have low water content, simplifying centralized treatment and reducing environmental impact through solids management and waste minimization.

Meeting Stringent Environmental Compliance Standards

With stricter environmental rules, discharging waste mud is risky. Xi’an Kosun’s mud recycling system ensures clean mud circulation and less waste, helping projects pass environmental tests and giving companies an edge in bidding. This is why these mud recycling systems are used in urban gas, heating, power, and communication pipeline projects and are recognized internationally.

The Strategic Choice for Project Success

Selecting a dependable mud recycling system supports a construction method that is safe, environmentally responsible, cost-effective, and stable. Xi’an Kosun provides proven mud treatment solutions based on extensive experience. Effective mud recycling is crucial for successful projects.