Over the last few years, the popularity of pre-packaged, bentonite-free liquid polymer drilling fluid products has grown in the horizontal directional drilling industry.
These types of drilling fluid products offer many benefits and conveniences. The list includes not having to haul pallets of bentonite to the jobsite, dust-free mixing of drilling fluids, and not having to dispose of empty pallets and bentonite bags. Another big benefit is the ease of mixing, which is beneficial because new hires with little experience and training are often assigned to mix drilling fluids. Pre-packaged, bentonite-free products are less complicated to understand and use.