WorldWide Drilling Resource

23 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® MARCH 2018 In Memoriam William J. “Bill” Lawson, Jr. The management and staff of WWDR was saddend to hear of the passing of William J. “Bill” Lawson, Jr. on January 12, 2018. Bill was a former U.S. Marine who served during the Vietnam War. Since 1980, he and his wife Pat owned and operated Altantic Screen Manufacturing, Inc. in Milton, Delaware. He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Pat; son Jeff and wife Shannon; grandchildren Owen, Colin, and Brenna; three brothers, a sister, and other extended family. Contributions may be made in Bill’s memory to Hebron MP Church, c/o Mrs. Nellie Adams, 21902 Vaughn Rd, Georgetown, DE 19947. Dean E. Rickard (1956~2017) The Wisconsin Water Well Association sadly relayed the passing of member Dean E. Rickard on December 6, 2017, following a brief illness. Born in Dodgeville, Wisconsin, Dean joined his father at Rickard Well Drilling after high school. In 1978, he purchased equipment from his father and started Dean Rickard Well Drilling. Dean sold his com- pany to Sam’s Well Drilling in 1998, then worked for them until his death. He was respected for his honesty, knowledge, and skill, and worked hard to do a good job to serve the citizens of his area. Building models of well drilling rigs and collecting toy construction equipment were Dean’s hobbies. His greatest joy was time spent with family and friends, especially summers by the swimming pool. Dean is survived by his wife Wendy; children Jason (Rejona) and Kimberly; three grandchildren; and extended family. Thurman “Anthony” Dale Watts (1983~2017) Tragically, Thurman “Anthony” Dale Watts of Harts, West Virginia, passed away December 29, 2017, as the result of a dozer accident at a mine in Fayette County. He enjoyed working in strip mines, and vol- unteered at the fire department. Anthony is survived by his son Wesley; sister Julie (Orla); parents Roger and Darlene; and other extended family. The management and staff of WWDR express their sympathies to the family, friends, and colleagues of these gentle- men. Lest we forget... What is Horizontal Directional Geotechnical? Information Provided by Mears HDD All horizontal directional drilling (HDD) projects have to contend with unknown geological conditions, and getting through those conditions can be one of the greatest challenges. Mears HDD out of Houston, Texas, has developed a patent-pending solution which uses a geotechnical process to determine the soil conditions while completing the pilot hole drilling. Known as horizontal directional geotech- nical (HDG), this process allows operators to reduce costs by shifting the pilot hole phase into the planning and feasibility phase of a proj- ect. The company uses its team of geologists to analyze samples and data from each project to determine specific conditions. The data and collected information is used alongside real-time drilling performance reports to make adjustments to the pilot hole path. The contractor is then able to assess the data and select the proper down hole equipment to complete the reaming and pull phases. The HDG process can be completed with a smaller rig and labor force than what is typically used during the pilot hole phase, further reducing cost. With this process, the contractor also has the ability to recover core samples from the borehole, allowing them to obtain the exact type of reamer needed for the specific project.