Drilling mud is pumped at a high rate through the replaceable Lobestar Mixing Nozzle? insert – found inside the Lobestar Mixing Eductor? sub-component of the shear-mixer. The resulting pressure drop across the nozzle creates a high velocity fluid stream and generates an incredibly strong vacuum for maximum solid or liquid additive loading. The Lobestar Mixing Nozzle? produces multiple jet streams, each of which consists of a core with oscillating vortex rings that expand into overlapping plumes. This flow pattern results in a highly energized fluid boundary layer, promoting turbulent, dynamic fluid shearing, rapid hydration of additives, and uniform dispersion. The specialized diffuser insert found downstream of the nozzle helps recover the maximum amount of available pressure lost across the nozzle. This allows the mixed fluid to be transported greater distances and up higher elevations through the piping, downstream of the mixer, and back to the mud pits.

The radial premixer sub-component of the system is used to “pre-wet” chemical additive particles, preventing clumps of additive particles from appearing in the mixed fluid as fish eyes or microgels. Fluid is passively diverted from the primary inlet of the shear-mixer to the radial premixer where a swirling flow pattern is created, generating a vortex of air and fluid. This vortex disperses additive particles evenly into a low pressure, swirling eye of fluid, effectively pre-wetting them before they are sheared into the drilling mud by the Lobestar Mixing Nozzle?.