27 JANUARY 2023 WorldWide Drilling Resource® It Depends? by Ronald B. Peterson Drilling Products Specialist, Mountainland Supply Company Let’s start 2023 out on a fun note, in light of the fact not many of you are asking the hard questions. You are leaving it up to me to come up with my own topics, so here goes. When I first got involved in the drilling industry nearly five decades ago, I was fortunate to be able to work with some very capable and observant people in all aspects of the drilling industry; whether it be (forgive me) gas and oil, deep hot hole geothermal, water well, mining, ground source heat pumps, environmental, or construction. Many times, the source for necessary products to address or solve an immediate problem was two plus hours away, in one direction. The situation on location could be potentially life-threatening and needed immediate attention. When the phone rang letting you know there was a problem; however far you were from the rig at the moment, you were already that late just in getting to the location to assess the situation. Your mind would be racing, reviewing recent events and trying to determine product needs which would help you address the situation. The solution to the problemwas almost always “IT DEPENDS” - on what equipment you had on location, is it in good working order, and what products were on location. You would have to start addressing the situation as soon as you got there and got out of the vehicle. There could be the ideal situation where you had all the correct equipment, it was all in good working order, you had all the correct products in the correct quantities, and the hands were all rested and mentally and physically ready to jump in and take care of the situation. If you were lucky, you had all the above and were able to do things by the book; but in reality, as I said “IT DEPENDS.” You had to be able to think on the run and get things moving. When I came into the industrial drilling market, I was lucky enough to work with a gentleman who had started out as a troubleshooter for a rig manufacturer. That man’s name was Carl Mason. He immediately let me know that nobody wants their rig to sit idle, whether it is a $200,000 rig, a million dollar rig, or a multimillion dollar rig. The answer is almost always “IT DEPENDS” - mostly on how wel l you evaluated the job and preplanned your drilling program. Thanks for reading. As I often say: “A man has to know his limitations.” Working together, it is amazing where we can go. Enjoy the trip! If you have any questions on drilling fluids or if you have another topic you would like me to address, please contact Michele (below) and she will let me know. Remember, this column is ours, help me make it of value to you. It needs to be an interactive tool. I need your feedback. Ron michele@ worldwidedrillingresource.com G&O
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