Directional drilling goes back nearly a century. Today, advances in technology have allowed the process to become the go-to solution for situations when trenchless isn’t just the preferred option — it’s the only option. Here are some tips to help keep your directional drill in top shape for its next project, and many more to come:
1. Rotate your drill pipe
“Drill pipe is probably the most wearable item on a directional drill,” says Barry Jackson, HDD product training manager for Toro. “Drill pipe is not super expensive, but just keeping your pipe serviceable is important because it can make or break a directional bore.”
To help extend the pipe’s service life, Jackson recommends rotating it throughout the drill string.
“Instead of starting with the same piece of drill pipe every single time, you should rotate it throughout the string so that every piece of pipe gets even wear,” he says.
2. Use drilling fluid
“Drilling fluids will greatly reduce the amount of wear on the drill pipe, as well as the tooling on the bottom of the drill string,” Jackson says. “There are some in the industry who believe just because it’s a 100-foot bore as opposed to a 1,000-foot bore, they can do the project without drilling fluids. Or they’ve always worked without drilling fluids and will continue to do so. But that wears out the equipment. Things don’t last as long as they would for someone who actually uses the proper fluids to do a project.”
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How much of a difference can drilling fluid — or “mud” as it is referred to in the industry — make? Jackson estimates that an operator can expect to see about 20 percent more life out of a drill by regularly using fluids. For the life expectancy of the tooling going into the ground, it is particularly crucial. “I would say at least 50 percent more life,” he says.
3. Know the ground conditions
It can be difficult to properly maintain equipment if it’s not even well suited for the job. Selecting the right tooling and fluids for a directional bore will not only help operators complete a job successfully, but also minimize the amount of wear on equipment.
“Of course you don’t want to use a bit that’s designed for dirt to drill through rock,” Jackson says. “Choose the right tools for the job and that will absolutely help the drill withstand the wear and tear.”
And the mud formula may have to be adjusted from job to job, as well.
“The variables can be extreme,” Jackson says. “You may have sand that’s super abrasive in one area and you’ll have to use a specific type of drilling fluid that reduces friction in that bore, and in a completely different bore you may not have any friction whatsoever. Yet you still need to add some type of slick properties to that drilling fluid in order to, for example, keep the drill pipe from sticking to a clay formation.”
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If the machine’s gauges are showing excess rotary torque, it could be a sign the wrong type of fluid is being used, Jackson says.
4. Use quality makeup water
You may have selected the right formula of drilling fluid for the job, but if you’re not careful about your water source, you may still find yourself vulnerable to potential equipment damage.
“Chances are operators are pulling the water out of a fire hydrant or a creek,” Jackson says. “If the fire hydrant has sat dormant for a while and has not been flushed, they will get a ton of sand that has settled in those lines going directly into their mixing tank. That sand then gets mixed up in the drilling fluids and runs through the mud pump. If they’re pulling out of a creek, they need to make sure they’re using a strainer system for that water before it goes into the tank. Otherwise you end up with pebbles, small rocks and larger grains of sand in the mud system, and those will get pumped through the mud pump also.”
5. Make sure drill operators are properly trained
“Help avoid drill damage by ensuring your operators are properly trained and are familiar with the limits of a drill and the drill pipe,” Jackson says. “Staying within those limits, and not pushing the drill too fast, will help prevent pipe from coming back bent, or pipe that doesn’t come back at all.”