Hey, driller! Yeah, I am talking to you! Don’t start with Part 3 of this series on managing and disposing of drilling fluids and drilling waste. You need to start from the beginning with Part 1. As drillers, we love to skip right to the final chapter, which we believe is the only information we need. This article is a companion to Part 1 and Part 2, and assumes that we as a drilling team have solved those issues before the first turn of the bit.
The goal of a proper waste management and disposal plan is to generate as much semi-dry material as possible. The only way to achieve that goal is to create and execute that plan from start to finish. A good plan sets maximum waste production limits, with room for flexibility to deal with unknown downhole conditions that could impact our program. However, that flexibility should not triple the final waste production, but ensure the team can adjust throughout the project. Keep your program simple and executable.