Brandt Mini Cobra 3-panel shale shaker

The Mini Cobra is a linear-motion shaker that pulls cuttings off the mud at the flow line. It is the small end of the Cobra family: less deck and a lower weir than a King Cobra Venom, so it can sit on a smaller pit.

NOV points it at smaller land rigs and workover rigs. Deck area is 25.4 square feet, nominal G-force is 6.6, and two 2.5 horsepower motors drive it. Basket angle adjusts from 0 to 3 degrees. The weir is 24 inches, which is the number to check against the flow-line height. Weight is about 3,800 pounds.

A King Cobra Venom has more deck, more G, a higher weir, and Constant-G. A VSM 300 is a three-deck elliptical shaker with a 39-inch weir. The Mini Cobra uses its own pretensioned screens. A Venom screen from a King Cobra will not drop into this basket.

Confirm it is the three-panel Mini Cobra and not a King Cobra basket that was described loosely as a Cobra. Count screens, check the 24-inch weir against your tanks, and make sure both 2.5 horsepower motors run. A small shaker that is short of screens will overflow on a drilling break.