How to Avoid Causing a Road Hump with Directional Drilling

Road humps are errors that occasionally happen during the directional drilling process. They create an accidental speed bump in the road that can be costly to fix. The good news is that there are a variety of processes you can implement when working with a directional drilling company in Roseville, CA that will help you avoid this problem becoming an issue with your job.

Here are just a few examples of some of those steps you can take:

• Always use the correct tools: Perhaps the most common cause of these road humps is using the wrong tool for the ground in the area being worked on. You must take the ground conditions into consideration when selecting the tools you’ll use for the job. There are some tools that are meant for cobble conditions, and others that are meant for soils heavier in clay or sand. There should be a detailed analysis of the soil before the job begins so you can make sure you select the proper tools. Otherwise you immediately set yourself up for failure.
• Take it slow and steady: Another common cause of road humps is trying to rush the drilling process. It’s better to take your time and get the job done well than to try to rush the job just to save a little bit of cash. If you rush too much, the equipment won’t be able to carry out cuttings with the proper amount of fluid, which means there will be an increase of pressure in the ground that could cause a hump to form.
• Avoid mistakes with fluid mixing: Yet another cause of road humps is improper fluid mixing. Directional drilling teams must take care to create the right ratio of fluid for the process, especially when the soil conditions feature a lot of clay. An improper fluid ratio can result in the tool balling up. The job shouldn’t be any more difficult than it needs to be—you should be able to cut, mix and pump cuttings out of the hole easily and at the appropriate speed. If cuttings stay behind in the hole as a result of poor fluid mixing, your slurry will harden up and make the job way more difficult for you to complete.
• Watch for frack outs: Frack outs are a very common symptom associated with road humps. This involves fluids leaking during the drilling process. If you notice this starting to happen, stop and resolve it quickly before humps in the road become an issue.
• Maintain consistent pressure: Spikes in pressure are a sign that you are getting into different soil conditions that you may not have anticipated. This is a good indicator that you need to slow down, reevaluate the soil conditions and make whatever adjustments necessary so you don’t continue to see spikes in pressure, which could cause road humps when left unchecked.
• Be diligent in your work: Error on the part of the engineers performing the drilling is one final common cause of road humps. Be diligent with your tasks and make sure you’re prepared to do the job.

For more information about the various causes of road humps, or to schedule a consultation with our directional drilling company in Roseville, CA, reach out to Es7 Comm2-U, Inc. today.

Categorised in: Directional Drilling Contractors

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