A redesigned drilling mud bucket for Kelly Kan. When a drill pipe connection is broken out on the rig floor, the pipe above is full of drilling fluid. The mud bucket clamps around the connection, catches that fluid and sends it down a hose instead of spraying it over the rig floor and the crew.
Starting point: the existing buckets
The client shared two existing designs in use on rigs. Our first job was to understand how they work, measure the key dimensions and confirm what the new version had to do: fully functional, designed for manufacturing, with 3D renders and dimensioned drawings.
What we designed
- Two hinged half-shells that open wide to fit around the pipe and close into a sealed tube, about 95 cm tall and 27 cm across.
- Over-centre lever lock: one lever pulls both latch connectors tight at once, so the bucket locks in a single motion and cannot spring open under pressure.
- Replaceable seal inserts at the top and bottom, made as male and female halves, that grip the pipe and keep the fluid in.
- Side handles for lifting and positioning on the pipe.
- Drain outlet near the bottom, angled to connect a hose and carry the mud away.
Engineering drawings
Every part was released with a fully dimensioned drawing, plus the assembly drawing and bill of materials.
Deliverables
- Fully functional 3D model of the bucket and all parts (SolidWorks and STEP)
- Dimensioned drawings of every part, the assembly and the bill of materials
- Renders and an animation of the opening and locking sequence
- Design updates through review calls with the client
