Reclaiming
D
rilling fluid management is inarguably
one of the biggest issues facing the
horizontal directional drilling (HDD)
industry
today. With the
extensive regulations
and costs associated
with drilling fluid,
some would claim it is
the biggest issue.
It’s not a new
issue, however. When
HDD took off in the 1990s, contractors
quickly realised that disposal of drilling
fluid, also known as ‘mud’, was problematic.
Some pipeline contractors created their
own systems to separate solids from drilling
fluid and recirculate the cleaned-up fluid
downhole.
By the start of this century, manufacturers
were developing standalone reclaimer systems
for the HDD industry. A decade and a half
later, reclaimers have
now gone from a ‘want’
to a ‘need’ for most
contractors.
“Increasing
regulations and costs
related to drilling fluid,
particularly when it
comes to disposal,
has led to reclaimers becoming a necessity
on many jobs,” says Jon Heinen, Senior
Pipeline Manager at Vermeer, which began
manufacturing reclaimers in 2010.
Two trends illustrate this point.
First, reclaimers have long been associated
with large-diameter installations, particularly
CONTROL
Gregg Hennigan, on behalf of
Vermeer, USA,
explains how
fluid recycling can help meet
HDD drilling costs and stricter
regulations.
Figure 1.
HDD contractors are turning to
reclaimers to help counter the rising costs and
regulations related to drilling fluid.
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