Shale shaker basket system

1. A basket system for a shale shaker, wherein the basket comprises:

a front, solids discharge end and a rear, feed end, spaced apart by opposed first and second sides, wherein the feed end includes a fluid retaining wall;

a lower screen deck frame mounted or mountable to the basket for supporting a lower screening surface and forming a lower screen deck in use, whereby the screening surface of the lower screen deck has a lower, feed receiving, end that is proximal to the fluid retaining wall at the rear end of the basket and a distal, higher, solids discharge end at the front end of the basket;

wherein the fluid retaining wall includes a feed director extending rearwards and formed for directing an applied solids and liquid feed towards the front of the basket and onto the lower screen deck; and

wherein the basket further includes a mounting for mounting at least one upper screen deck frame above the lower screen deck frame; and

a mounting for a cover plate releasably attachable to the fluid retaining wall to cover the location for the feed director on the fluid retaining wall; and

wherein the system further includes at least one upper screen deck frame and at least one cover plate; the cover plate comprises a mounting for mounting at least one upper screen deck frame above the lower screen deck frame.

2. The basket system of claim 1 wherein the fluid retaining wall is provided with an aperture for mounting or an aperture mounting the feed director; the feed director when mounted extending rearwards of the aperture and formed for directing a solids and liquid feed applied into the aperture towards the front of the basket and onto the lower screen deck.

3. The basket system of claim 2 wherein the feed director takes the form of a blister on the aperture of the fluid retaining wall.

4. The basket system of claim 3 wherein the blister seals to around the periphery of the aperture.

5. The basket system of claim 2 wherein the feed director is a deflector plate or trough that receives a solids and liquid feed from outside the rear wall of the basket and directs the feed forwards through the aperture towards the lower screen deck.

6. The basket system of claim 2 wherein the feed director of the fluid retaining wall is a rearwards extending deviation or bulge in the shape of the fluid retaining wall.

7. The basket system of claim 1 wherein the cover plate comprises mountings for mounting two or more upper screen deck frames, one above the other, to form a stack of screen deck frames above the lower screen deck frame.

8. The basket system of any one of claim 1 wherein the cover plate comprises one or more flanges projecting towards the front end of the basket to which a screen deck frame may be fitted with releasable fastenings.

9. The basket system of claim 8 , wherein at least one flange of the cover plate projects towards the front end of the basket and is downwards directed, providing a downwards directed surface for releasable connection to a front edge of a screen deck frame.

10. The basket system of claim 8 , wherein the feed receiving end of each upper screen deck frame, when fitted, is spaced by the one or more flanges so as to be further away from the fluid retaining wall than the screen deck frame below.

11. The basket system of claim 8 , wherein cover plate support flanges are provides on the sides of the basket.

12. The basket system of claim 2 wherein the feed director is permanently fixed in place.

13. The basket system of claim 2 wherein the feed director is releasably attachable.