Horizontal Directional Drilling

The Horizontal Directional Drilling industry continues to be a major drilling discipline that Baroid Industrial Drilling Products serves. Early on it was obvious that conventional horizontal drilling wisdom from the oilfield was not applicable in the utility and river crossing business.

Baroid IDP was one of the first drilling fluid companies to apply its vast knowledge of drilling fluids to the industry. Mother Nature, as always, dictated that utility borings and river crossings require the optimization of different drilling fluid properties than that of the horizontal drilling done in the oilfield. The formations encountered in utility and river crossings are primarily unconsolidated sand, gravel and reactive clays.

These factors require that gel strengths and filtration control be optimized rather than viscosity. With this in mind Baroid IDP developed BORE-GEL premium grade bentonite which combined superior gel strengths, filter cake development and filtration control with a lower resultant viscosity, those properties most important to a successful horizontal bore.

The primary focus of suspension of drill cuttings combined with reduced viscosity ultimately allows for better maintenance of flow and effective removal of solids. Many utility bores and all river crossings occur in alluvial environments or simply areas that contain large gravel and cobbles.

These formations present the greatest challenge to HDD contractors concerning hole stability and suspension. Baroid IDP addressed this problem with the advent of NO-SAG™ biopolymer that enhances the suspension properties of the BORE-GEL system. The addition of NO-SAG® biopolymer allows for the increase in suspension properties without a dramatic increase in the resultant viscosity of the BORE-GEL drilling fluid. This factor allows for the suspension of large gravels thereby furthering borehole stability and the flowability of the drilling fluid.

Kai Equipment call attention to Baroid Industrial Drilling Products for horizontal directional drilling:

Scripst of horizontal directional drilling