Introduction to the Working Principle of Mud Treatment Equipment

　　Currently, the large volumes of slurry generated in construction projects, underground tunneling, and trenchless engineering operations are costly to treat. The conventional approach typically involves hauling the slurry away in truckloads, which drives up transportation costs; moreover, there are frequent reports of trucks illegally dumping slurry along roadside green belts. In contrast, modern slurry treatment equipment is suitable for slurry purification and recovery in positive- and reverse-circulation drilling, trenching, and slurry-balanced shield tunneling applications across hydropower, urban infrastructure, and bridge pile foundation projects. This equipment can serve as a viable alternative to imported systems, effectively addressing challenges such as waste slurry disposal, slurry recovery, and slurry recycling in construction operations.

　　The mud treatment equipment uses a hydraulic screw pump to convey the drilling mud into the vibrating screen inside the mud processing unit for dewatering. This equipment is also essential for achieving environmentally friendly construction practices.

　　What is the operating principle of mud treatment equipment? Let’s take a look.

　　The hydraulic screw pump conveys the drilling mud from the waste mud pit to the coarse screen section of the shaker for dewatering, removing particles larger than 2 mm. Particles smaller than 2 mm are routed to the mud storage tank, while the mud pump within the mud treatment unit pumps the mud from the waste mud pit into the cyclone separator. Following separation, most of the clarified mud flows via the cyclone overflow into the central storage tank. The waste cuttings separated by the cyclone are discharged through the underflow and then fed to the shaker for further dewatering. It should be noted that the shaker inside the mud treatment equipment is a double-deck unit, operating in a recirculating mode to discharge the mud in the form of a mud cake.

　　The mud treatment equipment features a simple structure and a small footprint, making it highly suitable for field operations. It is easier to operate, reduces costs, enhances production efficiency, and meets green environmental protection requirements. The equipment effectively controls the water content of construction mud, performs solid–liquid separation of solid particles in the mud, improves the hole-forming rate for pile foundations, and lowers bentonite consumption and slurry-making costs.

　　What are the characteristics of mud treatment equipment? Let’s take a look.

　　1. Low power consumption: The total installed capacity is 5.5 kW, with actual power consumption around 5 kW.

　　2. Reduced chemical consumption: The cost of treating each cubic meter of sludge-water mixture is RMB 0.1–0.3.

　　3. Sludge moisture content: ≤30%.

　　4. Clear effluent: visually transparent with no suspended solids.

　　5. High single-unit processing capacity: capable of handling more than 100–150 m³ of slurry per hour.

　　6. Relatively small footprint: No pre-treatment is required for the slurry water before it enters the system equipment; no sedimentation tanks or clarifiers are needed. The entire set of technical equipment typically occupies less than 28 square meters, and can be directly pumped in or allowed to flow by gravity using the existing elevation difference for efficient operation.

　　7. Long service life: With normal operation of 10 hours per day, the continuous service life typically exceeds 1,080 days.

　　8. Convenient maintenance and low cost: All maintenance tasks can be performed on-site; under normal operating conditions, the screw components exhibit wear resistance for more than two years.

　　9. High degree of automation: After a single-button start, the equipment enters fully automatic, intelligent operation, eliminating the need for on-duty personnel.