Overview
EN ISO 13501:2011 - Petroleum and natural gas industries - Drilling fluids - Processing equipment evaluation - is a CEN-adopted edition of ISO 13501:2011 that defines standardized procedures for assessing and modifying the performance of solids control and drilling fluids processing equipment in the field. The standard provides methods to evaluate entire solids-control systems (not intended for ranking or direct comparison of similar individual pieces of equipment) and includes guidance on sampling, testing, and interpreting results for rigs and test labs.
Key topics and requirements
- System performance evaluation: Standard procedures for measuring the performance of drilled-solids removal systems and whole rigsite solids-control trains.
- Equipment covered: Shale shakers, centrifugal pumps, degassers, hydrocyclones (desanders/desilters), mud cleaners, centrifuges, and associated processing equipment.
- Sampling and capture: Defined sampling methods and calculations for mass fraction (percent) solids and capture efficiency (how much drilled solids are removed).
- Shale shaker specifics: Design and operational guidance, conductance testing, screen separation potential, non-blanked area calculations, and labelling requirements for shaker screens.
- Particle and solids characterization: Procedures for particle size assessment, low-gravity solids determination and characterizing removed solids.
- Operational guidance: Practical guidelines for design, operation and optimization of solids control equipment and sections (suction, discharge, addition/mixing).
- Economic considerations: Framework for evaluating cost/benefit and economic impacts of solids-control performance changes.
- Annexes: Informative derivation of capture equations and a “Finder’s method” (Annex B) for quick field or lab assessment of screen sizing (not a replacement for full normative testing).
Practical applications
- Ensures consistent, repeatable evaluation of drilling-fluid processing systems on-land or offshore rigs.
- Helps mud engineers, drilling engineers and rig supervisors quantify solids-control efficiency and make evidence-based adjustments to equipment or operation.
- Supports equipment manufacturers and test laboratories in developing, validating and labeling shale shaker screens and solids-control devices.
- Useful for operations aiming to reduce solids load, improve drilling fluid properties, extend equipment life, and lower disposal and drilling costs.
Who uses this standard
- Mud / fluid engineers, drilling operations personnel, rigsite supervisors
- Equipment manufacturers, test houses and certification bodies
- Procurement teams evaluating system performance (note: not for direct comparison of similar individual devices)
Related standards
- ISO 13501:2011 (original) / EN ISO 13501:2011 (CEN adoption)
- References/API background: API RP 13C (drilling fluid processing equipment) and API RP 13E (shale shaker screens) - the ISO document is based on these documents and aligned with ISO/TC 67 work.
Keywords: EN ISO 13501:2011, drilling fluids, solids control, processing equipment evaluation, shale shaker, hydrocyclone, centrifuge, degasser, mud cleaner, shaker screen labelling, rigsite evaluation.
