Drilling fluids are one component of the drilling system — a system that requires rotating/cutting action, weight on bit and a competent driller. Drilling fluids are a critical component regardless of water, air, mud, foam or even, today, high-frequency vibration. Fluids are essential to remove drill solids created by the bits.
My idea of creating drilling fluids in mud rotary as a young driller was mixing a bag and a half of gel, throwing in some PAC polymers, and hitting it with long-chain liquid polymer when I couldn’t clean the hole. My family’s business drilled many water wells without any basis in drilling fluids science or physics. Transitioning from a driller to drilling fluids engineer for Baroid IDP opened my eyes to the science of drilling. I had a lot of practical field experience in mud rotary, and I used many products. But after my first few months of training and applying the technical aspects of drilling fluids, I realized what I believed I knew about drilling fluids could have fallen through a 74-micron screen. I know what you are thinking, “Brock, do I need to train for several months with an oil field company to be competent in drilling fluids?” The simple answer is, “No.” You and your team just need to embrace the science and physics of drilling fluids.