Solids Control –Shale Shakers Screens

•A shale shaker is only as good as the mesh size and quality of its screen.
•A number of screen types are available today and performance varies.
•For example, a 100-mesh “square”screen removes 100% of the particles greater than 140 microns, while a high flow-rate, 100-mesh “layered”screen removes 95% of the particles greater than 208 microns.
–This layered-screen performance is equal roughly to only a 70-mesh “square”screen.
•Screen mesh:
–The number of openings per linear inch.
–For example, a 30 x 30-mesh “square”screen has 30 openings along a 1-in. line in both directions.
–A 70 x 30-mesh “oblong”(rectangular opening) screen will have 70 openings along a 1-in. line one way and 30 openings on a 1-in. line perpendicular.
•Depending on the manufacturer,wiresize and weave, this 70 x 30-mesh screen may be described as:
–An “oblong”or “rectangular”70-mesh screen,
–An “oblong 80”in an attempt to rate the effective rectangular opening in terms of a square equivalent or possibly
–A 100-mesh screen.
•Avoid using mesh designations when comparing screen types.
•In addition to mesh count, various wire sizes and weave patterns are used that affect the opening size and flow-rate for a particular mesh size.
•The 100-mesh square, layered, oblong and bolted screens each removes different particle sizes.


•Shaker screen values for U.S. standard sieve equivalents, square mesh market screen.