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What Contractors Should Know Author Rick Zavitz discusses what is involved in developing a complex mud engineering plan. “Engineering drilling fluids for HDD rigs is becoming more popular – it can be as simple as measuring and monitoring drilling fluids or a very detailed plan with subsequent monitoring....” Read more |
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Drilling Fluid Flubs Sharon M. Bueno, managing editor of Trenchless Technology, discusses how critical drilling fluids are to having a successful HDD project along with their proper usage. “Ask the drilling fluid specialists and they’ll tell you how critical drilling fluids are to having a successful HDD project, with their proper usage resulting in cost-effectiveness and efficiency. But while most HDD contractors agree with that assessment, many don’t always engage in or regularly practice the most basic elements of a proper drilling fluid program.” Read more |
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Drilling Fluid Rules of Thumb Frank Canon, a member of the Drillmasters Advisory Board, the ultimate basics of drilling fluids. “Let’s try to take some of the mystery out of drilling fluids. To start, let’s agree that the main component of any drilling fluid is water.” Read more |
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Thinking Lean with your mud mixer Roger Woods, owner of STS and Scott Gray, PhD discuss the elements of avoiding waste and developing processes that will save you money and time. “When you are tightening a nut onto a bolt, did you ever step back and think – it is only the last turn that makes a difference and the other turns are just wasted motion?” Read more |
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What is Viscosity, Part I Manley Osbak discusses the intricacies of viscosity and challenges our common thoughts on what it actually is. “Viscosity is an important property of drilling fluid because it’s the viscosity that determines the fluid’s ability to suspend and carry cuttings out of the hole. We usually think of viscosity as thickness, and we tend to approach the task of managing viscosity from our intuitive understanding of thickness.” Read more |
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What is Viscosity, Part 2 Manley Osbak continues his discussion with information on shear stress and shear rate and how they are connected to viscosity. “The methods that we often use to manage viscosity are justified in part, by our concept of what viscosity is. Generally, we consider viscosity to be another word for thickness.” Read more |
