The number of products available to drillers is constantly growing and, therefore, they face a never-ending learning curve. This column addresses some of the frequently asked questions we receive about grouts and sealants.
A few years ago, I received a call from a contractor asking for help mitigating a situation with a governmental transport agency in regards to monitoring downhole pressures as they were drilling under a six-lane highway crossing.
Regardless of whether the project is small or large, the five steps to a successful bore covered here are a basic list of considerations for every project.
Gel strength is one of the most important characteristics of an HDD drilling fluid, and understanding how to test for gel strength and adjust drilling fluids to varying soil conditions can greatly increase the success rate for HDD contractors.
We, as mud/fluid engineer types, tend to get a bit on the windy side when discussing how something works. In this article, I want to boil it down to five basic facts and discuss the options available to the drill contractor when they encounter hard-to-deal-with soils.
The biggest difference between high yield bentonite drilling fluid products and drilling fluid products specifically designed for HDD applications is in gel strength and fluid loss/filtration control.
The use of graphite in thermally-conductive grouting applications has exploded in recent years with more and more drillers abandoning the use of sand either completely or partially.
The biggest difference between drilling fluids for vertical rotary mud drilling and horizontal directional drilling (HDD) applications is in the requirements for gel strength.
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