trenchless drilling rig and mud pump pricelist

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Trenchless mud pump, also referred to as horizontal directional drilling pumps provides an essential service to the HDD industry. They are an integral component to the operation; comparing with oil well, they must be built at high flow and low pressure in mind.

Based on this property, Beyond trenchless mud pump was launched as the customers require. Our current HDD mud pump ranges from 1800L/min(475GPM) to 2800L/min(740GPM) at pressure of 9Mpa/1300PSI. It is compact in weight and size, range from 4800kg-7800kg, 6.76CBM-1.92CBM. The pump can be assembled with engine and transmission system on the same skid for easy operation and transportation.

Another attractive point, it is much more cost-effective than F-500 mud pump which is commonly used in the market. It can save your cost not only on the pump itself, but also on the cost of engine and transmission since it is only 300KW and 7.8 metric ton in weight. Also it can save your fuel cost after it starts to run at site.

Working with Beyond means having an expert team to support you throughout the life cycle of your pump. Contact us today for consultation to find out the best solution for your HDD PUMPS.

Rated at 7,500 psi, and with a 14” stroke, the PZ 2400 enables contractors to drill longer laterals with optimal flow and pressure. Combined with Redline consumables, customers can expect to see improved performance and decreased downtime, lowering customers" total cost of ownership.

The PZ 2400 features a Y-shaped module design, meaning less stress is placed on the pumps internal components and higher flow rates can be achieved with improved fatigue life.

The 2,200-hp mud pump for offshore applications is a single-acting reciprocating triplex mud pump designed for high fluid flow rates, even at low operating speeds, and with a long stroke design. These features reduce the number of load reversals in critical components and increase the life of fluid end parts.

The pump’s critical components are strategically placed to make maintenance and inspection far easier and safer. The two-piece, quick-release piston rod lets you remove the piston without disturbing the liner, minimizing downtime when you’re replacing fluid parts.

A mud pump is a reciprocating piston or plunger device designed to pump drilling fluid under high pressures and volumes down the drill string of a drilling rig. The main functions of drilling fluid are to provide hydrostatic pressure to prevent formation fluids from entering and to stabilize the bore, to keep the drill bit cool and clean, to carry drill cuttings back out to the surface, and to suspend the drill cuttings while drilling is paused or during the pullback process.

Mud pumps consist of two main sub-assemblies- the fluid end and the power end. The fluid end performs the pumping process with valves, pistons, and liners, or plungers and stuffing boxes- depending upon the type used. These components are considered expendables, and are designed to be easily replaced in the field. The power end contains the eccentric or crankshaft, along with the connecting rods, and cross heads/slides.

Tulsa Triplex is a Tulsa Rig Iron company. We manufacture pumps from 100 to 600 horsepower that are designed to be easily maintained and are capable of being completely rebuilt. Our pumps feature a smaller footprint and lighter weight than competing models, making them completely legal load size and weight in most instances. They are available as a bare pump, with chainbox, or a complete skidded package.

It’s been said time-and-time again that drilling fluid is the blood that keeps a horizontal directional drilling (HDD) project moving. As the size and overall number of projects have increased, so too has the acceptance and use of mud systems.

As the industry evolved, contractors became aware of the importance of bentonite- and barite-based drilling fluids shifting away from using water mixed with other less effective lubrication products. With the use of these new drilling fluids, mud systems began the migration from oilfield to HDD use.

“Whether onshore or offshore drilling … there are different stages of solids control that go on. There are separate sections with shale shakers, mud cleaners with hydrocyclone manifolds and decanter centrifuges scattered across the drilling operation,” says Raymond Pietramale, administrative sales and marketing manager, Elgin Separation Solutions.

Whether you refer to them as mud recyclers, reclaimers or cleaning systems, today’s equipment is a far cry from the piecemealed, oilfield-based units of the early days. They’ve become specifically-designed and engineered tools for the smaller footprint of an HDD jobsite and a key component to a project’s overall solids control plan.

“With the HDD crews, it became much more efficient to package all of this into one system with the shaker, pumps, tank capacity, desilter and desander, hydrocyclone manifolds, additives hopper and a power pack that are skid or trailer mounted to maintain a small footprint onsite,” says Pietramale.

Manufacturers like Elgin, as well as Mud Technology International Inc. and Tulsa Rig Iron and component manufacturers like Derrick Corp., can all trace their HDD roots to oilfield equipment operations. These manufacturers know the importance of efficiency on HDD jobsites and have grown to become leading designers and manufacturers of equipment dedicated to HDD operations.

“The mud system’s chief function is to remove drilled solids from the drilling fluid and help maintain a clean drilling fluid to enable a successful crossing,” says Ben Clark, global manager of civil construction at Derrick Corp. “A mud system that is capable of effectively recycling drilling fluid, even under maximum fluid and solids loading, will allow for a much more cost-effective operation by facilitating increased rates of penetration and less nonproductive time, while reducing a number of operational costs such as drilling mud disposal, accelerated wear on high pressure pumps, tooling, swivels, chemical and water usage, downhole issues and more detrimental effects.”

Terry Flynn, vice president of sales and marketing at Tulsa Rig Iron, further explains the many benefits of a mud system. “Fluid returns from a bore include sand, soil, rocks and various other material, which are extremely damaging to your pumps and downhole tooling,” he says. “Recycling your fluid also cuts down on the required water and bentonite needs throughout the job. The continual disposal standards imposed by the EPA also dictates the needs for fluid recycling.”

For many of the early HDD projects, drillers would use water to lubricate the bore hole, but they faced a myriad of issues. When mud systems were first introduced to HDD operations, drillers who were well-versed in oil and gas or operations knew the importance of drilling mud — mainly water-based bentonite slurries — for maintaining hole stability.

“In the beginning it seemed water was deemed sufficient to drill a borehole,” says John Miller, CEO of Mud Technology International. “Differential sticking, caving of the hole, swelling of the hole pushed the contractors to look for solutions. Then came ‘trial and error’ mud programs, mud engineers and better mud systems became the norm.”

While it’s easy to visualize large HDD projects using mud systems today, it’s important to note that without mud systems, these large record-setting projects would not be possible.

“In the early days, the mud and recycler seemed like an afterthought, just something to clean out the cuttings. The focus seemed to be on the drilling rig, ‘Give us a bigger rig and we can drill anything,’” Miller says. “As time went by, contractors began to realize that a good mud program and recycler allowed the borehole to be drilled without as much challenge, less horsepower and more expeditiously.”

Much like the drill rigs they support, a mud system is rated based on how many gallons per minute (GPM) it can process. It is important for a contractor to properly match the two to gain ultimate efficiency.

“When HDD started, drilling rigs were running 300 gpm, dealing with smaller diameter bores. As the need in the pipeline industry started growing for drilling rigs to make larger bores, a higher capacity recycler would be required,” says Pietramale. “Mud systems started growing in size to pair with larger drilling rigs.”

He notes that a small drilling operation — installing water wells, geothermal lines, telecom fiber, etc. will use a 100 to 200 gpm unit and it scales up from there. “If you have a drill rig pumping at 400 gpm, we recommend a 600-gpm unit. We try to go 1.5 to 2 times larger in size for the mud system to keep up with a rig operation and maintain a proper residence time for the separation process to be efficient.”

“Compact mud systems are now available for pretty much any size drill rig. Efficiently recycling your drilling fluid is not only proven to allow for a more cost-effective drilling operation but is also a much more green-friendly solution to drastically reduce waste disposal volumes compared to ‘pumping and dumping’ the drilling mud over and over again,” says Clark. “Pairing your drilling rig with an effective mud system is an absolute must if we’re to advance as an industry and overcome the high level of scrutiny we face today and beyond.”

Even with a downturn on the oil and gas pipeline side of the HDD industry, other sectors of the industry have stayed steady or picked up, and what these manufacturers have found is that other opportunities will continue to present themselves.

“As fluid disposal standards have tightened over time, it started affecting the mini and mid-size HDD drilling contractors. There are many more of those sized contractors across the globe, which require our technology,” says Flynn. “There are many vertical markets that can benefit from the HDD solids control technology. Water well drilling, foundation and pier drilling, and even solar and wind farms need the connection from their facilities to the power grids. Many contractors are serving more and more of that market.”

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Recycling and reusing drilling fluids is becoming increasingly common on jobs with mid-size horizontal directional drill (HDD) projects where previously that practice was uncommon.

Savings come from using less water and drilling additives, less time in mixing fluids, reduced clean-up requirements and significant reduction in costs of hauling water to make the fluid and dispose of it after a job is complete.

Mud recycling is standard procedure on HDD projects with big drill rigs – to not recycle fluids on a long, deep bore with a big machine using a mud motor would make the logistics of handling fluids unmanageable and cost prohibitive, and the physical size of recyclers used on these projects would not permit their use on work sites of the mid-size drill rigs that do utility work.

American Augers, Richard Levings, director of product management:Yes, the cost of disposing drilling fluid has become too expensive and often is very difficult to access an approved disposal location. Higher levels of cleaning equipment and new technology will be employed to decrease disposal costs and reduce fluid system wear. Just having a fluid cleaning system is not enough, making it a priority and a focus is necessary to be successful.

Ditch Witch, Seth Matthesen, senior HDD product manager: Yes, in certain areas and certain types of jobs. HDD projects in adverse, rocky soil conditions use much more mud per foot, making it necessary for operators to either spend more time disposing of drill fluid or obtain fluid recyclers that can handle drills with more pullback range. This trend is more likely in urban areas where operators must drive much further to a dump site. Some cities are also implementing tighter restrictions for dumping liquids, making disposal even more costly.

Elgin Separation Solutions, Raymond Pietramale, marketing manager: Packaged mud recycling systems feature an all-in-one unit design, and the use of mud recycling has proven beneficial when used with mid to large size directional drilling rigs. The ability to continuously recycle drilling fluid and decrease the solids slurry waste saves costs associated with new fluid use and less waste for contractors to pay to haul off. The cost savings and environmental friendly impact is a significant trend being seen across the industry.

Mud Technology International (MTI), John Miller, chief executive officer:In this age of environmental consciousness for global sustainability, it is imperative that we look at every HDD job to determine how we can minimize the impact of our operations. Recycling, even with the smaller rigs, reduces the amount of water used, Bentonite needed and fluid haul off; saving time, money and making a contribution to the protection of our planet.

manager:Due to the difficulty and cost of disposing of drilling fluids in many locations across North America and Europe, we expect to see more contractors using reclaimers with smaller horizontal directional drills. The decision really depends on overall job-site mud volume, soil type and the kind of mud mixture. For recycling with smaller rigs, the decision whether to use a reclaimer will be driven by return on investment. It could be more cost-effective to just vacuum excavate the returns and pay disposal fees than purchasing a reclaimer and hauling it to job sites.

American Augers: Depending on the fluid system, a bore can be started with a given amount of fluid, and run the entire bore with that volume of fluid. The soil will consume some fluid so fresh water must be added as needed, but it will not be necessary to continuously run vacuum units to clean up and haul away fluid to be disposed.

Ditch Witch:Recycling fluid reduces water volume and removes the need for multiple trucks to haul and process water for the job site providing significant fuel cost savings. In addition to cost savings, HDD operators also see improvements in rig uptime by removing the need to mix drilling mud during the time the rig remains inactive.

Drilling-fluid recyclers also benefit the environment. With less fluid to clean up, transportation of fluid is reduced lessoning the carbon footprint by decreasing the overall emissions.

Elgin: Decreased costs on drilling fluid use; decreased costs on waste disposal; environmentally friendly; and increased profits for drilling contractors.

Thunder Products:Cost savings.A drill stays productive instead of having down time waiting on a vac.Far less drilling fluid is used.It is the most effective way to increase margins.

Vermeer:The main factor is reduced mud costs – not only water and additives but travel time to dispose of the used drilling mud, travel time to get additional water, the labor that goes into mixing mud and reducing idle time of the drill. If a reclaimer is used, it helps maintain the operation and allows contractors to use mud volumes needed for the job. There are many other factors playing into the decision to use a reclaimer,including the type and size of a project.

American Augers:Savings are very project and location dependent. The variable costs range from state to state and often from city to city. Disposal costs alone can vary immensely. An estimate would be on average of 50 percent or more savings when you consider disposal cost, equipment cost, consumables cost, labor, wear on equipment, mileage and work stoppage due to traffic delays.

Ditch Witch:An HDD rig with 30,000 pounds of pullback can pump approximately 20,000 gallons of fluid during the course of a project (this can vary depending on job-site conditions). Using the Ditch Witch MR90 specifically, the same volume could be pumped using only 1,500 gallons of drilling mud, saving 18,500 gal of water and as much as $1,500 spent for additives.

Elgin:Our experience is that when faced with the combined cost of disposal and new raw material costs, the installation of a recycling system can reduce total expenses by as much as 50 percent, depending on the sophistication of the recycling system deployed and the level of fluid reuse deployed.With that said, median savings will range from 15 to 30 percent. Drillers that manage a minimum of six jobs with a 40,000-pound rig will experience a tangible return on investment.

MTI: Using 50 to 70 gallons per minute as a base and a 1,000-gallon mixing system, not recycling requires mixing a new tank of mud every 14 to 20 minutes. Recycling provides the ability to reuse the mud, and only add water and chemicals as needed. This can result in great cost savings.

Thunder:Anywhere from $1,000 to $2,000 per day. There are savings on the dump fees of the vac or several vacs), savings on the driver and fuel hauling the vac, and savings on the amount of drilling fluids used.The productivity of the drill goes up.

Vermeer:Savings vary by job depending on the distance and difficulty of getting water, labor costs to get water to the job site and cost of hauling mud. Other variables are the type of soil, additive costs and whether mud can be processed at required rates. Disposing of high-cost additives instead of reusing fluids is a big factor in the overall cost of a project.

Can you provide brief examples of one or two recent projects with this size equipment that documented the cost savings and other benefits of recycling?

American Augers: On a recent 8-inch pipeline project, the right-of-way was very tight and the number of equipment on site needed to be reduced. The fluid cleaner being compact and productive, allowed the contractor to run continuously without having units in and out hauling fluid away.

Another pipeline project installing 16-inch steel pipe was in an environmentally sensitive area. Both mud motor and reaming passes required approximately 200 gpm flow rates. Once again, it was not feasible to operate any other way than recycling the drilling fluid.

Ditch Witch:Sonoma Underground Services switched to our recycler to reduce its mud-related costs. By recycling drilling fluid, the company reduced the amount of water and mud needed on the job site and eliminated daily vacuuming. On the most water-consuming day, the operators began with 2,000 gallons of mud and ended with 1,750, gaining three hours of drilling time by eliminating disposal runs and saving close to $2,000 for the day.

On another project, MasTec used recycling on a FTTH project. The company saved up to $100,000 per month throughout the length of the project from increased production and savings of drill fluid and disposal.

Elgin: Due to confidentiality we provide our customers, it would not be appropriate to comment on the specific savings achieved.However, Elgin can safely indicate that it has sold more than two dozen mud systems in the last two years to customers that were utilizing 40,000-pound pullback drills. Each of these customers identified a need to reduce operating expenses and lower their disposal costs.

Thunder:In Ohio, a contractor was not using a mud recycler and he was running three vacs to keep his 36,000-pound rig drilling. At some point during the day his rig would be down waiting on water or a vac, and every day his drill crew was idle 30 percent of the time.He introduced our recycler and began saving $2,000 per day. The rig went from 70 percent utilization to 95 percent utilization. Plus, mud pumps last longer.

American Augers:Yes, current margins in the industry will force contractors to employ fluid recycling. Fluid containment and reducing risk of frac outs is paramount. Increasing annular flow to increase velocities to better clean the hole is necessary, and that is made possible by utilizing a fluid cleaning system.

Elgin: In today’s urban areas, environmental concerns regarding ground contamination of mud pits plays a major factor. Communities and businesses are taking on an increased role in maintaining the environment around them. The use of a mud reclaimer promotes a leave-no-trace ideal when drilling operations are complete.

Thunder: In time it will become the norm. Mud recyclers pay for themselves rather quickly and it goes a long way on increasing margins. In the HDD market now we are seeing it work its way down into the smaller rigs. Five years from now they will become the norm, not just to increase contractor margins but environmental regulations will also drive it.

Vermeer:We expect to see an increased demand for reclaimers. It still is unclear if contractors will use individual reclaimers to support each drill or, if they will purchase a larger reclaimer and position it in a centrally located area to support multiple job sites. We’ve seen a few customers testing this business model.

Ditch Witch:This already is gradually happening. It will be a natural progression for companies to develop a product line to fit all drilling units in the marketplace. The market always is adapting to meet customer demands. We take customer feedback seriously and look for ways to improve their production times, ROI and save costs long term.

Elgin:Over the past several years, there have been new companies enter the reclaimers market. With the projected increase in HDD drilling activities, we expect to see more companies enter the market. In addition, there are companies which manufacture similar equipment for the oil and gas industry entering the HDD arena due to the current drop in that market.

Interested in a trade in value or converting your equipment into cash? We buy or trade for all types of directional boring equipment including: directional drills, trailers, HDD Tooling and other HDD support equipment. We make it as easy as possible to get you the money you need for your equipment.

To do this job right, it takes a special person. Someone willing to wake up every morning, laugh in the face of Lady Luck, and go the distance. Because, you know, out in the field with the right team at your back, success is anything but lucky.

The MR90 was designed with cost-efficiency in mind. It makes for a comparably quicker setup time, features remote controlled hydraulic functions and comes with an automatic pump shutoff that prevents overflow.

The self-contained mud recycler can mix and recycle drilling mud and handle spoils. Its two-screen system and six 2.5-inch hydrocyclones provide clean mud for reuse. The screens are designed to be easy to change and service, and they can be hydraulically adjusted to separate spoils.

For fast setup, the MR90 uses hydraulic leveling for the screens and hydraulic jack on the tongue of the trailer. It also features a compact cleaning package capable of meeting the demands of directional drilling jobsites.

Optional remote control of pumps makes the job easier for small crews and an automatic pit pump control utilizes a float sensor, turning the pump off when the mud recycler is not manned.

Ditch Witch brand directional drills, trenchers and other products are manufactured by The Charles Machine Works at a facility in Perry, Okla. The family-owned company, founded in 1949, focuses on three principles: honesty, hard work and giving customers the best product in the world.  For more information about the Ditch Witch MR90, visit www.ditchwitch.com.

A customized drilling mud processing system is is ready for shipment at GN Solids Control Beijing factory. It mud cleaning system is composted of a mud cleaner, a mixing hopper, and a centrifugal pump for mud mixing and transfer.

The drilling mud cleaning and mixing system is designed and made by client’s request to suit his drilling mud situation. Normally, mud cleaner is equipped after a pre-seperation shale shaker. But in this mud cleaning system, the first separation equipment is mud cleaner.

The reason why the client do not use shale shaker is that, they said the solids content in the mud is not much high. And mostly are fine solids. In this case, the drilling mud can be separated by mud cleaner directly. It is to save cost. As once the shale shaker is running, clients need to replace shaker screen periodically. It is a continue cost for operation. While delete the shale shaker, the system can meet client’s request. It can save the cost of shale shaker, and furthermore, the can reduce wearing spare parts shaker screen cost.

But if the solids content is high, or the particle side is big, which is over the hydracyclone separation point and its mud handing capacity, it is better to use a shale shaker before the mud cleaner. At one hand, the shale shaker can reduce the flow rate which feed to the mud cleaner. At another hand, after the shale shaker separation, the solids content will be reduced, and the big size particle are total removed based on the shaker screen API size and cut point. It can increase the hydraucyclone separation efficient, and also to avoid the fast wear out the hydraucyclones. 10 inch desander cone and 4 inch desilter cone are the most popular cyclone sizes used for drilling fluids separation system. Operator can choose the to use only desander cone or desilter cone, or both based on the mud condition and their budgetary. Desander and / or desilter cone quality depends on the handling capacity of the whole system.

Feeding pump for mud cleaner is centrifugal pump. The centrifugal feed pump is located on tank slope for compact design and for maximize the total tank usable volume.

After the mud recycling and mixing system, a drilling mud decanter centrifuge is used for fine solids separation. As there will be more and more fine and ultra fine solids after some circulation of the system. Decanter centrifuge will be used to reduce the mud weight.

With HDD (Horizontal Directional Drilling), pipelines are installed in three steps. First, the HDD rig bores a pilot hole from the launch point toward the reception point. The rotating drill rods are precisely guided along the planned alignment by a surveying system directly behind the drill bit. During drilling, mud pumps convey a bentonite suspension directly to the nozzles attached un the drill bit. In soft geologies, the soil is excavated hydraulically at high pressure. In rock drilling, excavation is carried out mechanically using a mud motor. The bentonite mixes with the excavated material and flows back to the starting point through the annular gap between the drill rods and the borehole wall. A separation plant separates liquid and solid components from each other and returns the treated suspension to the bentonite circuit.

The pilot bore is followed in a second step by reaming. After exiting at the reception point, the pilot drill gear including the surveying system is removed and replaced by a reamer. With cutting tools and bentonite nozzles, the soil is removed both hydraulically and mechanically when the drill string is pulled back. The water-bentonite mixture supports the enlarged borehole, removes the soil and simultaneously cools all components. Reaming is usually performed in several passes until the final borehole diameter is achieved. This is about 30 to 50 percent larger than the pipeline diameter. In a third step, the pipeline is inserted. The prefabricated pipeline is connected to the drill string. Lifting the front end creates a so-called overbend and the entry angle of the pipeline is adjusted to the exit angle of the borehole. At the same time, falling below the minimum bending radius is prevented. Behind a reamer and a swivel joint, the pipeline is pulled back to the entry point by the HDD Rig to its final position. During this process, bentonite minimizes friction between the pipe casing and the soil.

Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) is a “trenchless technology” method of installing utilities and pipelines.  HDD is ideal for crossing areas where open cut excavations are not allowed, such as railroads, highways, rivers and streams, airport runways, and wetlands. It is also appropriate for busy streets, narrow corridors, and deep alignments where standard trenching would be cost prohibitive.

The depth and alignment the HDD drills are controlled by steering around structures and utilities.Upon completion of the pilot hole, the new pipeline is pulled back through the borehole.  Pipes larger in diameter than the borehole are reamed out to a larger size prior to installing the pipe.

Our drills are capable of installing steel, PVC, ductile iron, or HDPE pipe (up to 36 inch diameter).  While most of our bores are in the 200 to 800 ft range, we have reached out as far as 2,700 feet in a single bore.  Drilling depths of up to 80 feet or more are possible depending upon the total drilling distance.  Our Ditch Witch 4020 and 100 All Terrain drills are specially equipped for efficient drilling and steering in rock conditions.

Our new Vermeer 330×500 maxi-drill provides a combined large diameter pipe with long distance capability using our 5 1/2″ drill pipe.   We’ve paired this drill with a Tulsa Rig Iron MCS-1000 Portable Mud System and TT-660 Mud Pump.  The 330×500 is capable of drilling a 36-inch-diameter pipeline over a distance of several thousand feet in soil or rock conditions.

ECI has a variety of specialty attachments for the HDD equipment, including a sensitive pitch sonde for gravity sewer installations; DigiTrak wireline system; Rail Head drilling bits with carbide teeth; steerable jetting assemblies for rock; and various types and sizes of back reaming tools for both soil and rock.   In addition to tooling, ECI has a full complement of fusion equipment, pumps, pipe rollers, mud mixing equipment, mud reclaiming equipment, and a fleet of trucks to mobilize and support the work.

In addition to HDD, ECI is also capable of horizontal auger bores of up to 42-inch-diameter with our American Augers 42-600.  This rig is typically used for shorter bores with steel casing and is launched from a jacking pit.  We also have a 24/30-150 for smaller bores.

The idiom, what’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander, is relevant to mud pumps and the industries they serve. Lubrication, bentonite, mud, slurry, drilling fluid — no matter what you call it — when adequately paired and mixed with a quality mud distribution system, is a recipe for success on any borehole.

A quality mud lubrication system is suitable for guided boring, guided auger boring, pipe jacking, microtunneling, horizontal directional drilling (HDD), auger boring and many vertical drilling applications. With the newest generation of pumps on the market, the range of applications is endless.

Akkerman teamed with Phil Polak, a seasoned mud man associated with X-Plore Industrial Drilling Fluids, to discuss mud delivery systems and what features make its product perform at its finest.

“Regardless of the discipline of drilling, if the contractor chooses to use a drilling fluid, the blending of that fluid with water plays an important role in the final quality of the product,” states Polak.

Essential features to look for in a mud delivery system are fast and controllable mixing, pump pressures and volumes appropriate for the task at hand.

Initial shear and time for complete hydration are necessary to get a good mixture. “Too often a contractor cuts open a bag or opens a liquid jug and pours it into the tank. Few drilling fluid components will disperse and hydrate that way,” Polak clarified.

Akkerman’s mud pumps feature a hydraulic, in-tank agitator to reduce mixing cycles to achieve the correct viscosity quickly, and therefore, save production time.

Polak continued, “The fact is, if a well-designed fluid mix is prepared, it will not separate or degrade. All things considered, proper pH and total hardness, along with adequate mixing times, almost guarantee a stable fluid.”

A high-pressure pump distributes and delivers drilling fluid mixtures, even those with high viscosity at extended lengths. Akkerman’s designs include independent and efficient piston pump flow of 6, 10, or 16 GPM with 2,500 psi of pressure. The units’ relief valves adjust the pump’s maximum pressure to match the tooling requirements for user flexibility.

On pipe jacking applications, pressure is necessary to provide a consistent fluid volume along the length of the pipe string. On long distance drives, pressure is necessary to deliver mud to the annular space between the ground and pipe to reduce jacking forces. On some applications, introducing mud at the cutter face assists with reducing cutter torque and tooling wear. On auger boring projects, it may be necessary to distribute the mud to the augers for spoil conveyance. In HDD applications, the mud coats the borehole to generate a physical barrier to prevent fluid loss. The commonality between these applications is the need for mud delivery at high pressures.

Contractors must also choose a pump with an adequate storage volume to meet the demands of the application. There are a variety of tank reservoir capacities. Single tank reservoirs typically provide enough supply for an entire shift. Dual, large-capacity tanks allow for independent pump operation, supply from one or both tanks, or supply from one and mixing with the other.

Contractors want to mobilize their equipment and get on with drilling, so portability is crucial when considering a mud pump purchase. A compact footprint, lift eyes and forklift pockets are all practical features that make the unit convenient for site transport.

Temperature can affect the quality of the mud mixture. Some mud pump units are sized for housing in a storage container for year-round operation in a variety of climates.

Another thing to think about is a choice in the mud pump’s power source and run time. Gasoline, diesel engines and electric motors all have their place based on project site power or emission regulations.

Uncomplicated features enhance the user experience for your crew. An in-shaft control pendant makes it simple to vary flow and pressure at an extended distance from the pump. A tank-side mud mixing platform and stepped frame makes pouring heavy bags or containers of mud into the tank an effortless process. A large tank opening ensures that the product gets into the tank without waste. Other conveniences to look for are intuitive controls, indicators, and quick connections.

Polak recently spent some time on a pilot tube guided boring project in Houston, advising on X-Plore’s products. The contractor used a dual-tank Akkerman bentonite and lubrication pump for mud distribution.

The crew installed 42-in. pipe on multiple drives up to 500-lf in varying sticky clay ground conditions. Using this mud delivery system, they reduced climbing jacking forces and rotational torque, unplugged clay from the cutter head face, and increased production.

Polak argues, “There is a cost attached to using drilling fluids and a quality mud pump. Performance will be compromised without proper mixing, and can lead to negative results. It’s been my experience that some contractors are not familiar with the benefits and are reluctant to absorb the costs. But what if the production is increased by as much as 30 percent — does that not offset the use of fluids?”

Bore-Gel Bentonite 50 lb is a single-sack boring fluid system is specially formulated for use in horizontal directional drilling (HDD) applications. Bore-Gel Bentonite 50 lb is a proprietary blended product using high-quality Wyoming sodium bentonite. When BORE-GEL fluid system is mixed with fresh water, it develops an easyto- pump slurry with desirable fluid properties for HDD.

Add slowly and uniformly through a high-shear, jet-type mixer over one or more cycles of the volume of slurry. Continue to circulate and agitate the slurry until all unyielded bentonite is dispersed.

Baroid IDP sales and service engineers average over 20 years experience in several facets of the drilling industry. These individuals bring a comprehensive knowledge of products, drilling methods, regulations and equipment to help customers solve the toughest drilling problems facing your industry. IDP personnel can help in all areas of the drilling project. From product selection through well completion, Baroid IDP representatives are known for being there for the customer.

Baroid developed its reputation by lending expertise at the well site, and can assist the driller in the following areas:Solids control system components and configuration

Simply stated, Baroid IDP field sales representatives help customers select the right products, and then help the customer use the products to accomplish the job in the most expedient and cost-effective manner. Regardless of the purpose for drilling the hole, Baroid IDP can provide a field specialist to help ensure proper product formulation and application.