Our Top Five Tips for Horizontal Drilling

If you think drilling is totally “boring,” well, you’re right! That’s exactly what drilling is all about: boring into the ground. But did you know there are more ways to drill than just straight down? How about horizontal drilling?

There are many reasons why you might want to consider horizontal drilling in Roseville, CA. For one thing, sometimes it’s not possible to drill straight down because of land ownership or environmental concerns. With horizontal drilling, your drill site can be miles away from the destination.

Another example is in the case of a mountain or salt dome. It can be very expensive and difficult to drill vertically in these instances, but with horizontal drilling you can maneuver underneath the impassible or difficult areas to reach your final destination.

Five tips for horizontal drilling

Here are five tips for horizontal drilling in Roseville, CA that may be helpful both in the planning stages and on-site:

• Plan for a larger radius than necessary: While there is a standard measurement of 100 ft radius per one inch of pipe diameter when drilling, you will want to expand that to be a bit larger. The hole made by the pilot drill is rarely going to give you a smooth radius. It’s more likely going to be a bunch of short, straight drills with various curves and corrections. For this reason, it’s a good idea to consider a larger design of 120 ft radius per one inch of pipe diameter.
• Make more core drills: Make the most of your planning and drill more than one core hole. Consider two drills close to the feature you are going to cross, and two more about 25 feet on either side of the bore path. Drill another set near the exit and entry points. You might want to make even more core drills, depending on the surface geology. Just like the tip above, doing a little extra can be helpful here, so drill deeper than you estimate the bore path will be.
• Don’t turn that corner: It’s hard for a drill pipe to drill around a corner, and very difficult to get a smooth hole. Remember that any extra curves or bends will increase the chance of an increase in downhill mud pressure, too. Take the extra time to plan another way to drill to the destination that doesn’t involve turning corners.
• Take it easy on the reamer: Consider the physics here: if you push a long rod too hard, it will buckle. With all the torque required in horizontal drilling, that can lead to a broken drill string. Don’t push it too hard or you’ll be giving yourself more work in the long run.
• Hire a reputable company with relevant experience: Don’t be afraid to ask any questions that might be relevant to your job before signing a contract, including about their recent drilling jobs. All companies will have experience, but you want to make sure that experience lines up with your project.

When you’re ready to do some horizontal drilling in Roseville, CA, get in touch with Es7 Comm-2 U, Inc. to arrange a consultation.

Categorised in: Horizontal Drilling

This post was written by Writer