A '''mud agitator''' is used in surface mud systems to suspend solids and maintain homogeneous mixture throughout the system. A mechanical agitator is driven by an explosion-proof motor, coupled to a gear box that drives the impeller shaft. The impellers (turbines) transform mechanical power into fluid circulation or agitation. The objective is to obtain a uniform suspension of all solids.<ref>Drilling Fluids Processing Handbook {{ISBN|0-7506-7775-9}}</ref>
==Types of agitator mounting== *Horizontally mounted agitator *Vertically mounted agitator<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.aipusolidscontrol.com/high-quality-mud-agitators/|title=High quality mud agitator selection|publisher=Aipu solids control|date=May 11, 2014|access-date=April 17, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419014909/http://www.aipusolidscontrol.com/high-quality-mud-agitators/|archive-date=April 19, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Types of agitating shaft seal== *Mechanical seal *Packing seal<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.aipusolidcontrol.com/html/products/agitator.html|title= Well drilling mud agitator}}</ref>
==Types of agitator impellers== thumb|right|450px|Types of Agitator Impellers *Radial Flow Impeller. Figure 1 shows a radial flow created by the impellers wherein the circulation is predominantly horizontal. *Axial Flow Impellers. Figure 2 shows an axial flow created by the impellers wherein the circulation is predominantly axial fluid movement.
==Types of impeller blades== *Flat blade impeller *Canted blade impeller *Contour blade impeller
==Notes== <references/>
Category:Drilling fluid