Case Study: South Texas Production Company achieves greater screen life and cuttings removal with SLB's DURAFLO D500-C screens

D500 Flat Panel Composite Shows Superior Life and Performance Efficiency South Texas

SLB worked with South Texas Production Company on a South Texas oil well where the drilling contractor wanted to improve solids control efficiency and lower operating and maintenance costs. The team compared a competitor’s corrugated-panel shaker screen against SLB’s DURAFLO D500-C flat-panel replacement screen on Derrick D503 shale shakers.

SLB recommended API 140 DURAFLO D500-C XR mesh screens and ran side-by-side testing under 15.5 ppg oil-based mud. The SLB screens matched the competitor’s handling capacity, reduced dry beach and horseshoeing, and showed better wear and gasket life, with total cell failure of 16% versus 30% after 19 days. They also increased cuttings discard rate by 47% while maintaining about 9% lower cuttings dryness, helping deliver better screening efficiency and potential OBM savings.