12 JUNE 2022 WorldWide Drilling Resource® New Technology and Equipment by Ronald B. Peterson Drilling Products Specialist, Mountainland Supply Company Frequently, I will ask someone why they do something a specific way and they respond, “That’s how we have always done it,” or “That’s the way my father, grandfather, or trainer taught me.” When everything is working well, there may be no need to reinvent the wheel; but if there is a better way to do something, we need be open to opportunities and innovations. According to Albert Einstein, the definition of insanity is: “REPEATING THE SAME MISTAKES OVER AND OVER AND EXPECTING DIFFERENT RESULTS.” I have frequently gone out to a job and helped solve a problem, only to return later and find them doing it the same old way they had always done it - and having the same old problems they always had. Originally, we did everything with our bare hands or hand tools; fortunately, we have, in general, gotten past this and are now using better, more modern equipment and supplies. There has been a lot of advancement in our industries. Take advantage of it. It may cost more money, but at the end of the day, it may overall improve your performance, save you time, increase your profit, and make it possible to enjoy the really important things in your life - your own needs and your family. The advances are not only in equipment but also in other supplies, such as drilling fluids. We still use similar products to what we have always used, but often we have found or developed an improved version that has been reengineered to do the things it has always done better, and may do things it did not do before. Bentonites have been modified or tweaked to mix more easily, give us better viscosity, better water loss or filtrate control, and better suspension properties, which in turn, give us better hole stability. This helps advance the bore more quickly with fewer problems. We have also identified properties of bentonites that were never even considered in the past. We knew they were good sealants, but never thought to use them in the borehole until recently. Some of the original polymers are still around and are still good products, but we have identified and developed new polymers with properties we didn’t even realize were available or needed in the past. We have identified polymers that provide better reduction in filtrate or water loss, giving us better hole stability. We have also identified polymers that have clay and shale encapsulating properties, as well as cuttings carrying capacity and suspension or yield point characteristics. We have also found we can combine polymers to provide the most desirable properties of each for the specific job. We have found there is often a synergistic effect. New products are almost always more expensive than the old standard products. Be careful and evaluate your options to make sure the improved results more than offset the higher price, and improve your drilling operations and profitability. Get with your provider of products and equipment to see what they have that is new and may improve your operations. Give it a try if it makes sense. Avoid or get out of the rut and enjoy the benefits. Working together, it is amazing where we can go. Enjoy the trip. If you have any questions on drilling fluids or if you have another topic you would like addressed, please contact Michele (below). Remember, this column is ours - help me make it of value to you. It needs to be an interactive tool. I need your feedback. Ron Ron Peterson may be contacted via e-mail to michele@ worldwidedrillingresource.com WTR
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