The first human-made wells were made over 8,000 years ago. Since then, millions of wells have been dug across the world. The used technologies, drilling methods, and equipment have been transforming as time goes by.
Efficient tools and equipment from brands such as Supermill have been developed for drilling purposes. The maintenance and attainment of optimal machine and equipment efficiency have always been a challenge. This post gives insightful tips on how to optimize equipment efficiency.
Here are ideas on how to maintain and keep your drilling equipment in top shape.
Train Your Drill Operators Well
Your drill operators should get trained on how to use the drilling equipment well. For instance, a drill operator shouldn’t push the drill too fast because the pipe might come back bent. This problem results from the failure to stay within the drilling limits. As such, let your machine operators be proficient before getting assigned to drilling tasks.
Troubleshoot Your Equipment As It Works
Planning before drilling is a crucial step to take, but issues never stop to arise. Most of the time plugged tooling, and broken drilling HDD bits are significant problems in drilling. You should check for a sudden surge in mud pressure, loss of cuttings, or hot readings on your beacons. All these signs might be indicators showing that something might be wrong.
Understand Ground Conditions
It can’t be possible to achieve optimal equipment efficiency and maintenance if the equipment used in drilling doesn’t suit the task at hand. By choosing the ideal fluids, tools, and equipment for drilling, you’ll help your operators to complete your drilling job with minimal wear and tear on your machines.
Rotate Your Drill Pipe For Even Wearing
The drill pipe in a directional drilling machine is the part that wears quick during any drilling exercise. As such, you should always rotate the drill pipe to achieve even wearing.
Use Proper Drilling Fluid And Genuine Accessories
Friction from drilling rotations wears down your drill pipe fast if you don’t use drilling fluids. You shouldn’t use the boring distance as a determinant on the decision on whether you’ll use some drilling fluid or not. You should always use the liquid because the drilling fluid increases the longevity of your drilling equipment and its accessories.
Don’t buy your accessories from unknown suppliers. Instead, purchase equipment and their accessories from popular brands such as Supermill or trusted dealers.
Check For Wear And Clean All Tools, Equipment, And Accessories
Clean your horizontal directional drilling equipment and accessories after every bore. You can use water and a wire brush. You should check for wear resulting from abrasion. You should pay more attention to drill bits and other boring end accessories as well as bolts when checking for damage. The use of a bolt with worn out threading may make you lose your products in the drilled holes.
Grease All Moving Parts
Equipment accessories such as swivels and other moving parts can serve you for long if they’re well-greased. If you don’t lubricate moving parts such as those found within the gearbox, then some parts such as the rollers may break and fall into the pinion and rack where they can cause more damage.
Maintain Your Directional Drills and Bits as Required
Maintaining your directional drills and bits as per the manufacturer’s recommendations will prolong their service life. Regular schedules of maintenance can help you catch any damage or wear before it goes too far and causes job failures.
Your drilling equipment and accessories are your company’s lifeline in the drilling industry. Without them, you can’t land or handle any drilling contracts. As such, they should be well maintained. If well maintained, this equipment can ensure that you complete your tasks in time and with high efficiency.
The Supermill brand offers you high-quality and top industry drilling equipment accessories such as HDD reamers, PDC bits, hole openers, and mud motors, among many others. Try the Supermill equipment and accessories to get excellent drilling efficiency. But don’t forget to maintain your purchased equipment and accessories.
