WorldWide Drilling Resource

Drilling Fluids are not Bad, or are They? by John Christ J.C.’s Drilling Consultant There has been press about hydraulic fracturing done in the oil and gas business. Oh, and it’s bad! No, it hasn’t been in many years. Too many regulations, rules, and costly punishments when, not if, caught. Before anything happens down hole, a plan has to be submitted and approved. Then what does come out of the hole must be disposed of with regard to local, state, and sometimes federal laws. So hydraulic fracturing is really not bad, even though it was done with horizontal directional drilling. The real problem is, it has affected another industry adversely. The utility and pipeline installation businesses, which use horizontal directional drilling. There is a drill in a neighborhood and it’s installing some kind of utility - water lines, sewer lines, or cable TV, doesn’t really matter. To increase the chance of it being installed with minimal problems, drilling fluid additives should be added to the drilling water. For all the normal reasons, such as removal of cutting to the surface and soil stabilization, it will accept whatever is being pulled in. Since the hydraulic fracturing fluids are contaminated, the utility installed mud must be too. No, not true. Most drilling fluid companies have made the investment into NSF. This stands for National Science Foundation, which was founded in 1944. Their mission is to protect and improve global human health. This is not a government entity. It is made up and funded by manufacturers, regulators, and consumers. They develop public health standards and certifications which help protect food, water, consumer products, and the environment. So with this said, most of the additives to this kind of drilling fluid meet this certification. Then why is fluid disposal such an issue? Back in the 90s when I got involved with this drilling discipline, I went to Oklahoma to see a big drill running. I kept seeing a vacuum truck at pit sucking up the used drilling mud. I asked what was happening. Well, the contractor said they paid a guy to haul off their spent drilling fluid. Then I wondered what happened, so I asked, and was told it was sold to a farmer down the road. It added nutrients and traits to his soil, which helped with water retention and having better crops. During all the “Level 3” communications work, the spent drilling fluid was left on the ground - spent out and diluted with some water. Here in the Midwest, with most private water wells drilled with drilling mud, it is disposed the same way. The grass is always much greener where the drilling fluid was. Then the dreaded hydraulic fracturing came to the surface and it was becoming harder and harder to dispose of drilling mud, no matter what industry you were in. A great installation method, horizontal directional drilling is getting harder and more costly because we are not using com- mon sense. It’s not just this method of drilling, it’s anyone one who uses drilling mud and has to dispose of it. I look forward to getting some feedback on this subject. Not just that you agree or disagree, but how we can resolve this issue. Do you know why more of our utilities are not underground today? It costs too much due to the fact there are additional costs to dispose of spent drilling mud. It takes time, wear and tear on equipment, and the cost of disposal. The fact is, this in- stallation can last much longer before needing replaced versus surface-mounted utilities. We could just about do away with electrical problems during windstorms if they were underground. Think about it. Think how nice our neighborhoods would look if the surface-mounted utilities were underground. What about if someone decides it’s not a good option to install sewer lines by horizontal directional drilling methods and now a trip to the market takes us on detour? I’m just saying we need to use some common sense when it comes to drilling fluid disposal. Thanks, and let me know what you think! The statements and comments in this article are based on information and references believed to be true and fac- tual. If you have any questions or com- ments, please forward them to me in care of WWDR . John John Christ may be contacted via e-mail to michele@ worldwidedrillingresource.com 4< * '3* "& > > > > ,'< ? /2+ '6* /3+6 /3+6 ')1/3- " " !8=2+ /7843 4* 4* ')1/3- !+8 5)7 !8'3*'6* $'2:+ 9((+6 6':+2 $'2:+ 9((+6 !+'87 9((+6 $'2:+ 37+687 #6+8.'3+ $'2:+ 37+687 $'2:+ !56/3- ! ! $'2:+ 4:+6 '71+8 ? !;/:+2 ')1/3- ? !+6/+7 ? !+6/+7 ? !+6/+7 ? !+6/+7 ? !+6/+7 ? !+6/+7 < /3+6 < /3+6 < /3+6 < /3+6 < /3+6 6/)+7 !9(0+)8 "4 .'3-+ %/8.498 48/)+ ! < < < < < 50 SEPTEMBER 2016 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® Morale is when your hands and feet keep working when your head says it can’t be done.