WorldWide Drilling Resource

Some Unusual HDD Terms Adapted from Information by Melfred Borzall, Inc. Like most industries, horizontal directional drilling (HDD) has its own unique jargon which has evolved over the years. The following terms come from short- hand, slang, or hijinks on the jobsite. Burp Hole - Cranial opening on your buddy who has had too much soda and chili? No, it’s a hole dug along the borepath to relieve downhole pressure to help prevent inadvertent returns or hydrolocking. Cycle Rods - Sounds like it could be the shaft that connects pistons to a crankshaft in a dirt bike engine, but it refers to the action of “cycling” rods when pushing for- ward then pulling back drill rod in the hole, in repetition, to clean the path and avoid disruption. Doughnut - Not the delicious treat, this is a rubber rod wiper at the front of the drill rig that wipes mud off the drill pipe as it pulls back. Fishing Tool - Might be a name for any piece of rod and line equipment used by someone who is obviously not an experienced angler, but this is actually a specialty tool used to retrieve HDD tools which have broken off downhole. Fly Cutter - The world’s smallest samu- rai sword. Nope. This is a style of reamer with an open-blade configuration, also called a wagon wheel. Magic Box - Cell phone (used for check- ing sports stats and responding to fre- quent communications from a spouse or significant other)? More commonly called a receiver or locator, this is an electronic instrument used to determine the position and strength of electromagnetic signals emitted from a transmitter sonde in the pilot head of a boring system, or an impact mole tool, or from existing underground services which have been energized. Also referred to as a Walkover System. Paddle - Reminded of ping-pong? This is another name for a bit. Common types of drill bits used in HDD include slant-face bits, slanted-face rock bits, rotary rock bits, and percussive bits. Other names used are blade, duck bill, and steer plate. Pig - Not the farm animal, an HDD pig is a stabilizer barrel used to clean out a hole. Starter Rod - Red Sox starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez, right? No, it’s a threaded connector piece which allows for easy detachment and exchange of directional heads and reamers. Sucker - Think this is a drill operator who waits until after tooling breaks to check for wear? Seriously, this is another word for vacuum. It is a stand-alone piece of equipment used to suck drilling fluid and slurry out of the pit or from burp holes while drilling. Swab - Yes, it is a cotton-tipped device used for removing wax bui ldup from ear canals, but in HDD, this means to clean out a borehole for easier pul lback of product pipe. 44 JUNE 2019 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® Atlantis Vault A For more information call: (270) 786-3010 or visit us online: www.geothermalsupply.com • Self-Contained • Simple installation • Trouble-free operation Congratulat ions to : Davi d Tompkins Peace Va l ley, MO Winner for May! Time for a Little Fun! May Puzzle Solution: Numa Hammers Hole Products Win a prize! Send your completed puzzle to: WWDR PO Box 660 Bonifay, FL 32425 or fax to: 850-547-0329 Can you identify which ads in this issue these two photos came from? DIR August Issue Deadlines! Space Reservation: June 25 th Display & Classified Ad Copy: July 1 st