This January will mark 40 years of experience of working with drilling fluids and drilling fluids recycling equipment for this author, and yours truly could write a book on drilling fluids mixing errors made by both vertical and horizontal directional drilling contractors. Drilling contractors should expect a return on their investment in products such as soda ash, bentonite, polymers and additives, by way of a successful drilling project with few down-hole problems, yielding a project that is completed in a timely, cost-effective manner.
In order to reap the benefits these products can offer, one must correctly match drilling fluids to whatever soil conditions they encounter: pre-treating mix water with soda ash, using correct dosages of bentonite as a base, as well as the correct polymers and additives, and mixing these products properly to achieve the desired results. This article will focus on common drilling fluid mixing errors in order to help contractors increase their success rate and get a better return on investments made in drilling fluids products.