Drilling operators are always balancing priorities: maintaining fluid rheology, recovering valuable barite, managing mud weights, controlling disposal costs, and eliminating downtime. When it’s time to evaluate centrifuge systems, the decision comes down to which system processes your drilling fluids most effectively while maintaining uptime and requiring the fewest units to keep up with your drilling pace.
Two systems frequently compared in oil and gas applications are the Lynx 50 and the Swaco CD500. Below, we compare their specifications directly, break down what each number actually means in the field, and examine how these differences impact your operation.
Specification Comparison
| Specification | Lynx 50 | Swaco CD500 |
| Bowl Diameter | 20 inches | 18.58 inches |
| Bowl Length | 80 inches | 67.5 inches |
| Beach Angle | 6–10° (adjustable) | 6° (fixed) |
| Hydraulic Capacity | 2,271 L/min (600 GPM) | 1,185 L/min (313 GPM) |
| Maximum G-Force | 3,681 G | 2,705 G |
What These Specifications Mean for Your Operation
The numbers in that comparison chart each represent a specific aspect of centrifuge performance. To understand which system better matches your operational requirements, you need to know what these dimensions actually do in the field.
Bowl Length & Residence Time
Bowl length determines how long solids stay inside the centrifuge as they separate from the liquid phase and travel up the beach for discharge. This residence time lets finer particles separate and produces drier discharged solids, which translates directly into better fluid recovery.
The Lynx 50‘s 80-inch bowl length exceeds the CD500’s 67.5-inch length by nearly 19%. Solids get more time to separate before discharge, reducing fluid loss and improving solids removal efficiency.
This matters because better solids removal efficiency means each barrel of processed drilling fluid can meet the parameter targets outlined in the drilling program.
READ MORE: The Impact of Solids on Drilling Efficiency
Beach Angle & Solids Discharge
The Lynx 50 offers a progressive two-stage beach angle from 6 to 10 degrees, while the CD500 sits at a set 6-degree angle. The compact beach area in the Lynx 50 creates a longer cylindrical section of the bowl. This allows the Lynx 50 to utilize the longer cylindrical portion of the bowl for additional liquid clarity while primarily drying the solids through the 6-degree portion of the beach before finishing off in the 10-degree section for final material evacuation.
Hydraulic Capacity & Throughput
Hydraulic capacity is an industry-wide metric that measures how much water the centrifuge can process per minute. A higher throughput allows for more fluid to be processed over time, which equates to a higher solids removal efficiency to meet the faster drilling and circulating demands of today’s drilling operations.
The performance gap between systems is clear in the numbers:
- Lynx 50: 2,271 liters per minute (600 GPM)
- CD500: 1,185 liters per minute (313 GPM)
The Lynx 50 processes 92% more fluid than the CD500. This capacity advantage fundamentally changes what’s operationally possible.
READ MORE: Benefits of Proper Solids Control
One unit vs. multiple units
That throughput difference means one Lynx 50 handles the workload of two to three CD500 units. Fewer units mean a smaller rig footprint, which matters a lot in operations where space can be limited. You also need fewer operators, simpler logistics, lower mobilization expenses, and less maintenance downtime.
The rental rate is just one line item. You’ve also got personnel, power consumption for running multiple units, spare parts inventory, process flow challenges. When you add it up, a single high-capacity unit often runs cheaper than two or three smaller systems pushing out the same throughput.
G-Force & Separation Performance
G-force represents the centrifugal separation power generated at maximum RPM. This determines how well the centrifuge can separate solids across all ranges in density and micron size during the residence time within the bowl.
The difference in separation power:
- Lynx 50: 3,681 G-force
- CD500: 2,705 G-force
The Lynx 50 generates 36% more separation power. This advantage becomes critical in removing solids with lower specific gravity and smaller micron sizes that can be challenging with lower g-force and shorter bowl centrifuges.
Why Individual Specs Don’t Tell the Full Story
Understanding each specification helps, but centrifuge performance in the field comes from how all these variables work together—not from any single number on a spec sheet.
Centrifuges separate solids from drilling fluid through centrifugal force. The bowl spins at high RPM, forcing heavier particles outward where they settle against the bowl wall and travel up a beach angle for discharge. Clean fluid flows back for recirculation. Bowl diameter plays a role here because a larger diameter at the same RPM generates higher centrifugal force. More surface area means more separation capacity. That’s why bowl size gets so much attention.
But the dimensions that actually predict field performance go beyond diameter. Bowl length, beach angle configuration, hydraulic throughput capacity, and maximum G-force generation all have to align. When these elements work together, a centrifuge delivers performance that exceeds what any one spec suggests.
READ MORE: What Are the Consequences of Poor Solids Control on Drilling Operations?
The Lynx 50’s 20-inch bowl diameter generates high centrifugal force, but that force needs the 80-inch length to provide adequate residence time for thorough separation. The progressive beach angle optimizes discharge as mud weights and solids characteristics change. The 1:169 gearbox ratio delivers the torque needed to maintain consistent performance under heavy solids loading. The 600 GPM hydraulic capacity keeps pace with high-performance drilling operations.
Compare this to the CD500’s approach: a smaller bowl, shorter length, a fixed beach angle, lower throughput, and reduced G-force. Each difference looks modest on its own, but together they create substantial performance gaps in actual field operations.
What This Means for Your Operation
Centrifuge performance affects drilling economics in ways that compound throughout a project. When fluid processing keeps pace with drilling operations, the entire workflow stays moving. Continuous operation pairs with better barite recovery, which cuts both additive costs and the risk of inconsistent mud weight. Higher-quality solids removal extends fluid life and reduces disposal volumes, creating a cascade of cost benefits.
These improvements add up over time in ways that transform project economics. Hours saved on fluid processing each day turn into faster completion timelines. Whether its low gravity solids removal you are targeting or the barite you want to recover instead of disposing of could save thousands of dollars in material costs, with lower disposal volumes and fewer haul-offs.
The operations getting better results aren’t buying based on bowl size alone.
They’re asking:
- What’s the real cost per barrel recovered?
- How many units do we actually need to keep pace?
- What happens when conditions change mid-project?
Conclusion
Those questions are exactly why Diamond T Services supplies Alfa Laval centrifuge systems engineered for how drilling actually works. The Lynx 50 answers them all with higher throughput, better solids separation, and performance that holds when drilling parameters change and rig space is tight.
If you’re ready to evaluate potential separation solutions, talk to our specialists and see how the Lynx 50 can help. If you want to give it a test spin before you commit, learn more about our pilot program and see how we validate performance with your actual drilling fluids and site conditions.