Contractors in horizontal directional drilling, like in other drilling industries, depend on their fluids management plans to keep current projects moving and new ones coming in. National Driller recently spoke to an expert on the subject, Richard Levings, product development manager with American Augers. Levings moderated the productivity and fluid management tract for HDD contractors at this year’s Underground Construction Technology International Conference & Exhibition in Atlanta. We covered topics ranging from regulation to disposal to the importance of a good cone shaker. Our conversation here is edited for space and clarity.
A. Basically, I started in this industry on Jan. 1 of 1990 and that was the beginning of directional drilling — the HDD industry — from a commercial standpoint. So, I grew up in this industry. I’ve been a product manager working with customers and users and engineers developing the equipment as it has evolved since 1995. I’ve worked all around the globe with contractors of every size now, and worked on specific projects. I have been called to consult for projects and troubleshooting and … just 27 years experience.