WorldWide Drilling Resource

Boring Thoughts by Todd Tannehill Owner, Mud & More, LLC The Polymer Pour Challenge Looking for a drinking game? I’m sure you could make one out of this! Try the Polymer Pour Challenge at your next event. Here are the rules: • Give everyone an empty red Solo ® cup. • Provide a large pitcher of liquid (water or adult bever- ages work). • Have each player pour 4 fluid ounces into their unmarked cup. • Empty the contents into a measuring cup. • The winner is the person who comes closest to a 4 fluid ounce pour - on the nose! If I had a crystal ball, I would predict almost everyone would overpour. I know this because this is a mud school activity where we challenge drilling professionals to the Polymer Pour Challenge in class. Most of the time, all contestants overpour in the exercise. By the way, in case you were wondering, we use water. The point of the challenge is, polymers and additives are designed to work at a certain strength. Too much and you can overtreat the drilling fluid; too little and you depreciate your expected results. It doesn’t matter if it is dry or liquid, an unmeasured pour will miss the mark every time. Dunkin’ Donut cups in the U.S., Tim Hortons cups in Canada, or McDonald’s cups all over the world can be marked up and used in a pinch. The key is, you must measure out the first pour to get your cup marked correctly the first time. Afterward, each tank of drilling fluid you mix using the cup will be consistent. If you are working with a drilling fluid mix and it is working well, the only way to duplicate it each time is to measure your product. Drilling fluid manufacturers’ research and development teams design dosage rates to maximize results with the least product use. They track, on a graph, the dose and effectiveness, and at what point the product will max out. This is the point where adding more product yields no or negative results. In the field, I have experienced adding too little product and getting negative results. I know of a poly- mer which can thicken the mud if you use too little and, against all commonsense thinking, you have to keep adding to the recommended dosage to reduce viscosity. Proper dosing saves money for the drilling com- pany. A friend of mine wrote, “A Mud Engineer with a measuring cup can save the drilling company money by reducing the overall product use.” I agree, poly- mers and additives are the costliest products in the drilling fluid if not applied correctly. However, they are the best bargain in getting the job done, done right, and done on time when used as directed. Sometimes the person on the mixer is the newest member of your team. This is the person we need to train and have understand the products being used. Carpenters say: “Measure twice, cut once.” We should say: “Measure twice, drill it right.” Todd Todd Tannehill may be contacted via e-mail to michele@worldwidedrillingresource.com A lunch cup can work like a measuring cup. Measure twice, drill it right. New & Used Bits, HDD Bits & Tools, Drag Bits & Wings, Bolt-On Drag Bits, Reverse Circulation Tools, Hole Openers, Claw Bits, Stabilizers, Subs, Custom Tooling & Welding, Hammer Bits, Drill Collars, Pipe Wipers, and Drill Pipe. Office: (661) 834-4348 Rod Henderson / Eran Henderson 661-201-6259 • 661-330-0790 sales@bitcobits.com www.bitcoinc.us 30 APRIL 2018 WorldWide Drilling Resource ®