https://www.thedriller.com/rss/10065 en-us Thinking about expanding into geothermal? Consider return on time and investment, as well as company goals.

]]> http://www.thedriller.com/articles/92819 Fri, 17 Nov 2023 09:00:00 -0500 https://www.thedriller.com/articles/92819-geothermal-has-high-potential-but-look-before-a-leap Making sense of gauge, API standardization and the pipe threads drillers depend on.

]]> http://www.thedriller.com/articles/92782 Fri, 15 Sep 2023 09:00:00 -0400 https://www.thedriller.com/articles/92782-standards-and-compatibility-in-drill-pipe-connections Defending your products or services in court may cost more than making a customer feel whole.

]]> http://www.thedriller.com/articles/92757 Wed, 26 Jul 2023 09:00:00 -0400 https://www.thedriller.com/articles/92757-manufacturing-or-drilling-treat-customer-concerns-with-care As the 2023 Jubilee nears, our Pipeline columnist reflects on one of his favorite drilling industry events.

]]> http://www.thedriller.com/articles/92735 Tue, 20 Jun 2023 09:00:00 -0400 https://www.thedriller.com/articles/92735-south-atlantic-jubilee-more-than-a-family-tradeshow Many times, business people want things more simplified as they gain more experience as both buyers and sellers.

]]> http://www.thedriller.com/articles/92675 Wed, 08 Mar 2023 09:00:00 -0500 https://www.thedriller.com/articles/92675-know-your-customer-motivations-across-the-generations From accidents to lawsuits, businesses can face all kinds of unfortunate scenarios. Prepare yourself.

]]> http://www.thedriller.com/articles/92649 Tue, 24 Jan 2023 09:00:00 -0500 https://www.thedriller.com/articles/92649-protect-you-your-business-by-asking-what-if Electronics, telematics, other advancements have pushed drilling into new possibilities.

]]> http://www.thedriller.com/articles/92613 Wed, 30 Nov 2022 09:00:00 -0500 https://www.thedriller.com/articles/92613-what-innovations-changed-your-part-of-the-drilling-industry Rising costs affect everything, whether you work in industrial drilling or supply those who do.

]]> http://www.thedriller.com/articles/92523 Fri, 08 Jul 2022 09:00:00 -0400 https://www.thedriller.com/articles/92523-how-does-inflation-affect-manufacturers-contractors Whether a vendor mistake or fraud risk, accounts payable could see a check cashed twice.

]]> http://www.thedriller.com/articles/92498 Fri, 03 Jun 2022 09:00:00 -0400 https://www.thedriller.com/articles/92498-business-owners-watch-out-for-those-mobile-deposits As drilling rigs wield more bit weight, higher cfms, drill pipe design has had to keep up.

]]> http://www.thedriller.com/articles/92480 Thu, 28 Apr 2022 09:00:00 -0400 https://www.thedriller.com/articles/92480-buckling-risk-for-drill-pipe-in-blasthole-other-drilling-applications blasthole drilling rig Drill pipe design has to keep up with blasthole rig evolution. What worked on mid-sized rig 10 years ago may not on the modern, high-power equipment deployed in mining work today. Source: Public Domain Columnist David King wraps up 6,000-plus mile trip to oilfields of China’s Xinjiang Province.

]]> http://www.thedriller.com/articles/92451 Fri, 18 Mar 2022 09:00:00 -0400 https://www.thedriller.com/articles/92451-a-2m-drill-pipe-deal-a-lead-time-impasse negotiating a drill pipe deal The lead negotiator pushed a folded piece of paper across the table. This month, columnist David King recounts wrapping up a $2-million drill pipe deal in China’s far western Xinjiang Province, a major oil-producing area. Source: Getty Images Columnist David King, in China’s oil-rich Xinjiang Province, arrives at a negotiation, not a contract signing.

]]> http://www.thedriller.com/articles/92427 Fri, 18 Feb 2022 09:00:00 -0500 https://www.thedriller.com/articles/92427-a-2m-drill-pipe-deal-talking-numbers-and-lead-time negotiation In part three of columnist David King’s sales adventure in western China, he finds himself at a long negotiation, not a contract signing. Source: Getty Images Columnist David King recounts 6,000-plus mile trip to oilfields of Xinjiang Province.

]]> http://www.thedriller.com/articles/92400 Mon, 17 Jan 2022 09:00:00 -0500 https://www.thedriller.com/articles/92400-a-2m-drill-pipe-deal-getting-to-western-china town of Karamay in China’s far western Xinjiang Province After a long trip from the United States, columnist David King ended up in the town of Karamay in China’s far western Xinjiang Province, a major oil-producing area. Source: Getty Images Columnist David King, with some nervousness, sets out on the 6,000-plus mile trip just to sign a contract.

]]> http://www.thedriller.com/articles/92380 Wed, 22 Dec 2021 09:00:00 -0500 https://www.thedriller.com/articles/92380-a-2m-drill-pipe-deal-my-china-adventure Chinese visa Employers focus on jobsite injuries and fatalities, but more people die by suicide each year.

]]> http://www.thedriller.com/articles/92349 Mon, 08 Nov 2021 09:00:00 -0500 https://www.thedriller.com/articles/92349-mental-health-should-be-part-of-safety-training-at-drilling-companies suicide prevention As you might expect, employers in the drilling industry focus on the fatalities and injuries that can happen while operating heavy equipment. While workplace fatalities are a serious issue, suicide claims many times more lives each year than on-the-job incidents. Source: Getty Images http://www.thedriller.com/articles/92303 Tue, 31 Aug 2021 09:00:00 -0400 https://www.thedriller.com/articles/92303-how-do-drillers-learn-to-be-drillers-from-other-drillers Pennsylvania Ground Water Association event Drillers at a Pennsylvania Ground Water Association event demo a casing advancement technique. At events like these, you can find plenty of instances of drillers teaching each other new skills — even competitors. Source: David King hydrofracking demo at Pennsylvania Ground Water Association event Contractors demo a trailer-mounted hydrofracking unit at a PGWA event. Smaller regional, state and local events often have a hands-on advantage over bigger, national events, columnist David King says. Source: David King http://www.thedriller.com/articles/92262 Tue, 29 Jun 2021 09:00:01 -0400 https://www.thedriller.com/articles/92262-not-wearing-ppe-on-drilling-jobs-itll-sting-you-eventually protective gear Columnist David King, a beekeeper, recommends contractors view potential jobsite hazards just like bees. Any flaw in your PPE plan — like a hole in your protective beekeeping gear — can let a hazard in. Allow your PPE to do its job. Source: David King http://www.thedriller.com/articles/92227 Mon, 17 May 2021 12:30:00 -0400 https://www.thedriller.com/articles/92227-troubleshooting-drill-pipe-what-you-dont-know premature thread wear Many factors can cause premature thread wear, but you can more likely solve the issue if you know all the questions to ask. Source: David King Flawed pipe? A good manufacturer owns the mistakes and builds processes to prevent repeats.

]]> http://www.thedriller.com/articles/92196 Tue, 13 Apr 2021 09:00:32 -0400 https://www.thedriller.com/articles/92196-drill-pipe-manufacturers-sometimes-its-our-fault bevel in drill pipe This diagram shows the bevel, which was inconsistent on the pipe columnist David King investigated. Source: David King We don’t necessarily look at what we see every day. But, if drillers look, they can see their work everywhere.

]]> http://www.thedriller.com/articles/92169 Tue, 09 Mar 2021 09:00:00 -0500 https://www.thedriller.com/articles/92169-seeing-geology-and-drilling-lessons-along-the-highway Sideling Hill Cut The Sideling Hill Cut is a great example of how the drilling trades help move infrastructure forward. Source: Getty Images As you think about a “big” decision like a new rig or a larger facility, think of potential gains and efficiencies.

]]> http://www.thedriller.com/articles/92128 Fri, 22 Jan 2021 09:00:00 -0500 https://www.thedriller.com/articles/92128-drillers-are-your-facilities-holding-you-back machine shop A company columnist David King ran in the mid-1980s bought a building— shown here a much older photo — that had served as a machine shop for decades. He urges companies considering new facilities to ask themselves whether their existing ones hold back growth. Source: David King http://www.thedriller.com/articles/92094 Wed, 09 Dec 2020 09:00:00 -0500 https://www.thedriller.com/articles/92094-a-drilling-industry-suppliers-perspective-on-unforeseen-problems drill pipe As drillers know, anything that goes in the hole can encounter small amounts of radioactive elements. Source: Joshua Doubek / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons Operators may worry about the cost of going “greener,” but better efficiency brings savings.

]]> http://www.thedriller.com/articles/92072 Fri, 20 Nov 2020 09:00:00 -0500 https://www.thedriller.com/articles/92072-how-can-drilling-jobs-be-more-sustainable drill bit Do you think of bits or hammers when you think about sustainability? Many operators do not, but anything that speeds up the work and reduces rig time per hole saves fuel and, ultimately, emissions. Source: Joshua Doubek / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons http://www.thedriller.com/articles/92040 Mon, 19 Oct 2020 09:00:00 -0400 https://www.thedriller.com/articles/92040-drillers-what-are-you-learning-right-now former Bethlehem Steel building Columnist David King worked at Bethlehem Steel’s blast furnace, which is now the site of an entertainment and shopping complex. Every job can provide a learning opportunity, he argues. Bevels, leads and shoulders, what drillers need to know about threads.

]]> http://www.thedriller.com/articles/92007 Fri, 18 Sep 2020 09:00:00 -0400 https://www.thedriller.com/articles/92007-drill-pipe-threads-101-the-basics-of-good-connections drill pipe thread connections Even a small ding in a pipe shoulder can wash out the joint compound and, ultimately, affect uphole velocity. Source: David King http://www.thedriller.com/articles/91968 Fri, 14 Aug 2020 09:00:00 -0400 https://www.thedriller.com/articles/91968-how-can-drilling-contractors-manage-ambitious-employees http://www.thedriller.com/articles/91926 Mon, 06 Jul 2020 09:00:00 -0400 https://www.thedriller.com/articles/91926-drilling-contractors-what-is-your-management-style managing employees A boss’s management style may show up in the types of employees who stick with the company. http://www.thedriller.com/articles/91910 Fri, 26 Jun 2020 09:00:00 -0400 https://www.thedriller.com/articles/91910-metal-fatigue-the-silent-killer-for-drill-pipe drill pipe Connections can be a major stress point in drill pipe. Drill pipe design at manufacturing and drill string design in the field can both alleviate unnecessary stress on working pipe. Source: David King photo http://www.thedriller.com/articles/91869 Wed, 20 May 2020 09:00:00 -0400 https://www.thedriller.com/articles/91869-thread-damage-difficult-to-assess-on-drill-pipe Istanbul airport Columnist David King made it from the United States all the way to Istanbul carrying a large, metal case full of tools. It was, to put it mildly, a different time for airport security. http://www.thedriller.com/articles/91811 Fri, 03 Apr 2020 09:00:00 -0400 https://www.thedriller.com/articles/91811-troubleshooting-drill-pipe-for-a-remote-canadian-mine BECO thread This is a BECO thread, which is coarse and heavy duty. It is designed for rotary mining applications where there is plenty of bit weight. Source: Driconeq can of moose As columnist David King says, his wife loves anything moose-related. But he adds that her reaction to a can of moose was a little leery (thinking it was canned moose meat), until he opened it for her.