Water Well Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/715953
My father frequently said, "If you don't have time to do it correctly the first time, how will you find time to do it over?" And then there are the costs involved in doing things twice. I know I always feel like I go faster sometimes if I slow down. If we get in a hurry at the beginning and don't take the time to properly mix our drilling fluid, we will fight hole instability at the top of the borehole the entire drilling operation. A properly designed drilling fluid has properties built into it to stabilize and minimize problems in the most fragile and sensitive section of the borehole. Sometimes it is better and more cost effective to design the casing program to cover that section of the borehole—so we don't need to worry about it. If that is not an option, the alternative is to design the drilling fluid to provide that level of protection. Be careful not to ask a drilling fluid to do something it's not capable of. We may encounter the need to mix drilling fluid to main- tain our desired properties, but don't feel we have the time required. In order to keep drilling progress moving ahead, we must maintain our volume with fresh water and allow it to cascade past water-sensitive and fragile portions of the borehole, destabilizing them, and ultimately slow or halt our drilling progress. I am a firm believer in a prehydration or premix system. A prehydration system will provide a backup volume of fluid on location that is fully mixed with the desired properties so it can be introduced into the borehole immediately if and when needed to minimize the possibility of allowing the drilling fluid properties to get out of the desired range due to time constraints in mixing. A prehydration system is an insurance policy on the success of your project. I would like to close by emphasizing this is our column. If you have a topic you want to see discussed, let me know. Until we meet again. WWJ Ronald B. Peterson was hired in 1977 by Baroid Industrial Drilling Products as a field service representative and has worked in various positions for the company, including as an account rep and manager. He can be reached at ron.peterson@halliburton.com. DACUM Codes To help meet your professional needs, this column covers skills and competencies found in DACUM charts for drillers and pump installers. DO refers to the drilling chart. The letter and number immediately following is the skill on the chart covered by the column. This column covers: DOB-1, DOB-3, DOB-4, DOD-2, DOE-2, DOE-13 More information on DACUM and the charts are available at www.NGWA.org. Fluid Mixing Subject of Webinar Columnist Ronald B. Peterson will lead a one-hour webinar on "Drilling Fluid Mixing" September 14 at 2 p.m. ET. Covered will be proper mixing, planning, formulation, equipment, and techniques. Find out more about the webinar at www.NGWA.org/Events-Education. WWJ September 2016 55 Twitter @WaterWellJournl Your donation to the NGWREF Developing Nations Fund goes toward grants awarded to those working to improve the quality of life for people in developing economies worldwide who are without adequate access to potable groundwater supplies. Your gift does make a dierence. To make a gift, visit NGWA.org/Give or call (800) 551-7379 or (614) 898-7791. Every gift COUNTS! Operated by NGWA, NGWREF is a 501(c)(3) public foundation focused on conducting educational, research, and other charitable activities related to a broader public understanding of groundwater.