Volume 21 September 2024
2515 Highway 70 SW Hickory, NC 28602 Drillingequip.com REICHdrill - Now Available! REICHdrill - RTD69 PTO Contact Jeff for all your Equipment & Tooling Needs ~ 828-322-3056 jeff@drillingequip.com Mudslayer Systems UP-Z-DAZY by Funk Mfg. Rose-Wall Water Trucks and Grouters Pulstar Pump Hoists
Are you Planning to go?...................................................14 Breaking News..................................................................13 Classifieds: WorldWide Buyers’ Guide™..............43-56 Education Connection......................................................17 Fun Page...........................................................................16 Hot Off the Press.................................................................9 Obituary: Battersby, Jr., Charles Louis “Chuck”.............8 Obituary: Fritzel, William J. “Bill”......................................8 Obituary: Gibbons, Lindsay...............................................8 Photo Page...................................................................34,38 Product Spotlight..............................................................26 Who’s in the News............................................................13 WorldWide Association Memberships................................53 WorldWide .........6 WorldWide Subscription Form...........................................52 Acker Drill Company.............................................................4 Allegheny Instruments........................................................22 Armstrong Machine Co., Inc. (AMCI)..................................19 Atlantic Screen & Manufacturing, Inc. (ASI)........................11 Baker Water Systems.........................................................36 Better Water Industries Inc..................................................24 Bit Brokers International (BBI)............................................28 Bitco, Inc.............................................................................37 Drilling Equipment Sales, Inc. (DES)....................................2 Drilling Supply & Mfg (DSM)...............................................30 Eastern Driller Manufacturing Company Inc. (EDM)...........21 GEFCO (BAUER Equipment America, Inc.)........................55 GeoPro, Inc.........................................................................23 Geoprobe Systems®..............................................................1 Geothermal Supply Company, Inc. (GSC)..........................16 Heron Instruments, Inc.......................................................32 Hole Products.....................................................................31 Horizon Hoist......................................................................29 Infinity Tool Manufacturing....................................................3 Infinity Tool Manufacturing..................................................14 KS Bit, Inc...........................................................................33 Louisiana Ground Water Association (LGWA) Conv...........15 Merrill Manufacturing..........................................................27 Mills Machine Company, Inc...............................................12 N&N Drilling Supply.............................................................18 Palmer Bit Company...........................................................17 PennDrill Mfg........................................................................9 Premier Drill Products, LLC……………..............................25 Pulstar Manufacturing...........................................................7 Radon Environmental……...............................................20 SEMCO, Inc........................................................................56 Star Iron Works, Inc. - Construction....................................41 Star Iron Works, Inc. - Water Well.......................................40 Superior Energy Auctioneers..............................................42 TDH Manufacturing Inc.......................................................26 TDH Manufacturing Inc.......................................................54 Well-Vu, Inc.........................................................................13 Advertisers Featured Editorial C&G - Construction/Geotechnical ENV - Environmental G&O - Shallow Gas and Oil MIN - Mining DIR - Horizontal Directional Drilling EXB - Exploration/Blasthole GEO - Geothermal WTR - Water September 2024 - History Month: Celebrating Milestones in the Drilling Community C&G DIR ENV EXB G&O GEO MIN WTR Aardvark Packers..............10 Acker Drill Company..........10 Atlantic Screen & Mfg.,Inc...11 Bit Brokers International.....11 Centerline Mfg. Co.............11 ChemGrout®.......................14 Diedrich Drill......................14 Drill King International........15 Drill Pipe, Inc......................15 Drilling Equip. Resources..15 Eastern Driller Mfg. (EDM)...18 Eijkelkamp North America...18 Get Association Help™......19 Heisey Machine Co............19 Hole Products....................19 Kovai Drilling Applications...22 Merrill Manufacturing.........22 PennDrill Mfg.....................22 Pulstar Mfg.........................23 Star Iron Works, Inc...........23 T&T Carbide, Inc................23 VMAC................................26 Western Drilling Tools........26 Windmill 702 LLC...............26 History of the Tunnel Boring Machine........................25 The AEM Manufacturing Express Tour......................28 Connor, Tim: You Start with Fire then Lose the Flame...36 HDD Bit Turns 20.........................................................24 Battersby, Mark E.: Drilling Into Money Not Boring..32 Wilson, Jr., Robert Evans: The Un-Comfort Zone II...19,20 Geoprobe®’s History in the Making............................35 Orica Celebrates 150 Years.........................................11 Celebrating Half a Century of Explosives Engineering...14 Expanding Underground Research Space................22 E-News Flash Readers’ Choice: Technology Brought...10 The Slot Machine Gas Pump.....................................12 Smith, Billy Bob: The “Idiots” Corner........................15 The Unveiling of McElroy Museum............................16 Storkson, Britt: Sensor Common Sense.................37 Geothermal and the Lone Star State.........................41 150 Years of Collective Drilling Industry Expertise.....39 Peterson, Ronald: History.....................................7,18 A Well-Earned Reputation for Leadership......................23 Rasmussen, Tim: Water for Life International..........27 Celebrating 75 Years of Innovation for Water Well....31 Grants to Improve Stormwater and Sewer.................40 WWDR.........................10,14 5 SEPTEMBER 2024 WorldWide Drilling Resource®
For the past twenty (20) years, this “little company” that was not supposed to last more than six (6) months, has proven to many across this beautiful world of ours, in fact, it could. And with deep determination to serve this drilling industry and those who work so very hard in it, no matter how you may be connected to it, this WWDR Team reflects back this September 3rd, as we move into year twenty-one (21), to all those smiling faces we have met through these years, all the tears and heartaches we have seen our dear friends endure, and especially HOW THEIR DETERMINATION has them continue day after day. I want you to know from the bottom of our hearts, we are so very proud of each and every person involved in some way in the drilling industry for without drilling, there is “NO US” in the world as we knew it before drilling became a bad word and was halted. When our 45th President of these great United States stood up to everyone and said the words below - he instilled in me, and I am sure in many of you, his true vision for our future. That future being one of SUCCESS ~ I look forward to a future again. Proudly Made in the United States of America - delivered WorldWide! WorldWide Drilling Resource® The complete magazine for the drilling industry worldwide, owned by drilling industry associates dedicated to bringing the most up-to-date technology and information to subscribers. Covering construction-geotechnical, directional, environmental, exploration-blasthole, shallow gas & oil, geothermal, mining, water well, irrigation, wastewater; from bits, to pumps, to rigs, to tanks, through wire, and more. Whatever it takes to get the drilling job done! Managing Publisher/CEO/President: Veronica I. “Ronnie” Jones Vice President: Troy Cunningham Office Administrator: Michele Stevens Editor: Bonnie Love Public Relations Professional: Sheryl Kevilly Public Relations Professional/Classified: Linda Peterson Public Relations Professional/Display: Mary Lynn Mixson Representative: Marie Cunningham Editorial Assistant: Sophia Henline Editorial Contributors for this month Mark Battersby Tim Connor Ron Peterson Tim Rasmussen “Billy Bob Smith” Britt Storkson Robert Evans Wilson, Jr. Guest Contributor: YOUR NAME COULD APPEAR HERE! Call 850-547-0102 Hyd/Eng Consultant: Thomas Kwader, Ph.D.,P.G. Consultant: Mary Ann Pelletier Editorial contributions & advertisements include statements of fact and opinions that are the sole responsibility of the author and/or companies and do not necessarily imply any opinion of the owners, management, or staff of WorldWide Drilling Resource® . Images may have been altered for clarity. Complete advertising information may be found at: www.worldwidedrillingresource.com or by calling 850-547-0102. WorldWide Drilling Resource® makes every effort not to place advertisements for “like” products on the same page in our publication; this may occur however, due to size and space within the publication. We regret any inconvenience this may cause our advertisers. WorldWide Drilling Resource® is published monthly by: WorldWide Drilling Resource, Inc., a Florida Corporation, independently owned and operated. PO Box 660 (3089 Northride Lane) Bonifay FL 32425-0660 Telephone: 850-547-0102 Fax: 850-547-0329 E-mail: wwdr@worldwidedrillingresource.com Website: www.worldwidedrillingresource.com Copyright 2024 WorldWide Drilling Resource, Inc. Seen by countless WorldWide. Publication Agreement No. 40892520. Back issues may be requested. Cost per issue $10.00 USD. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without the strict written consent of the publishers. Advertising rates furnished upon request. Editorial contributions are welcome subject to editorial review.* WorldWide Drilling Resource® reserves the right to refuse any advertisement. We Recycle 6 SEPTEMBER 2024 WorldWide Drilling Resource® With Pen - Computer in hand . . . Veronica I. “Ronnie” Jones, 850-547-0102 ronnie@worldwidedrillingresource.com Next Up . . . NDA (National Drilling Association) Ohio; MINExpo Las Vegas . . . we will . . . See you on the trail . . . Featured Articles for September History of TBMs Page 25 Reputation Page 23 Society for Explosives Page 14 History in the Making Page 35 150 Years of Service Page 11 Slot Machine Gas Pump Page 12 Museum Unveiled Page 16 150 Years Collective Expertise Page 39 Bringing Water to the World Page 31 HDD Bit Page 24
7 SEPTEMBER 2024 WorldWide Drilling Resource® History by Ronald B. Peterson Drilling Products Specialist, Mountainland Supply Company The topic for this month is History, as it is WWDR’s anniversary month. Who better to talk about history than an old fart? The water well industry is arguably, if not the oldest profession, the second oldest profession. The first recorded reference to the water well industry is found in the book of Genesis in the Bible. In Genesis Chapter 21 Verse 30, Abimelech refers to his flock and it is recorded Abimelech told Abraham, “That they may be a witness unto me that I have digged this well.” The well was hand dug - a method that is still in use today. The next reference I find is the Chinese used a spring pole rig to construct wells to depths of up to 2500 feet. They were usually looking for brine for its salt content (a valuable and necessary commodity even then). They sometimes encountered natural gas which they would ignite and use to evaporate the water and dry the salt. The drilling rate was approximately 25 feet per year. The spring pole rig would have a rope tied on the end with three stirrups near the ground. Men would place their feet in these stirrups and then stomp down in unison, allowing the bit to pound on the bottom and advance the hole. This is where the term “kicking down the well” came from. This drilling method was basically unchanged for 3000+/- years and has evolved into the cable tool drilling method which is still in use today. The aboriginals in Australia would scoop out the sand or mud in a streambed to form what they called a soakage. They would cover the hole with spinifex (a local grass) and use a reed inserted through the spinifex layer to draw the water and quench their thirst. In the late 1800s, a Frenchman who drilled for water is credited with recognizing the advantages of circulation in the well drilling process and developing a way to apply it. The oil industry got its start in 1814 near Caldwell, Ohio. It was observed that oil was seeping out of the ground near a spring. Then in 1858 near Oil Springs, Ontario, Canada, they started intentionally drilling for oil, and the gas and oil industry was born. The first oil well in the United Sates was drilled on August 27, 1859, by Colonel Edwin Drake near Titusville, Pennsylvania. In the early days, the rigs were constructed of wood, including in some cases the drill pipe. It has often been said those were the days when the men were iron and the rigs were wooden. The deepest hand dug well was constructed near Woodingdean, England. It was started in 1858, with a diameter of six feet and dug to 438 feet where it was reduced to four feet and continued to 1285 feet - 850 feet below sea level. It was completed in 1862. Digging was continuous 24 hours per day with crews climbing a ladder in and out of the well. The well was lined with bricks as it was dug. Roughly 326,490 pounds of material was removed from the well. It was only used for four years. WTR Peterson Cont’d on page 18.
8 SEPTEMBER 2024 WorldWide Drilling Resource® In Memoriam Lindsay Gibbons (1942~2024) The family of Lindsay Gibbons is grieving after his sudden passing on July 10, 2024, at the age of 82. For years, he owned and operated G & S Water Well Drilling in Renfrew, Ontario, Canada. Lindsay is survived by his wife of 60 years, Sheilah; sisters Patricia (Andy) and Connie (Mike); brotherin-law John; sisters-in-law Toni and Gail; many loving nieces and nephews; and his faithful friend Sheeba. He was predeceased by his son Kenneth. As was Lindsay’s request, donations in his memory may be made to Valley Animal Rescue or Hospice Renfrew. William J. “Bill” Fritzel (1942~2021) With aching hearts, the family of William J. “Bill” Fritzel announced his unexpected passing on July 8, 2024, at the Huntsman Cancer Institute Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah. For 31 years, he obstinately rode the waves of cancer and fought frequent storms, persevering to the very end. Bill was born at the Lincoln County Miner’s Hospital in Kemmerer, Wyoming, in 1942. He grew up in Frontier, Wyoming, along the banks of the Hams Fork River in a Utah Power and Light company-owned neighborhood called Fritzelville. In his youth, he developed a love for the outdoors, animals, adventures, fixing cars, dancing, camping, and fishing. A talented mechanic as well as an exceptional oilfield drill operator and boss, he made oilfield history in 1975 by hitting the Rocky Mountain Depth record for the Amoco Production Company’s Bitter Creek #2 Unit #1 Rig in Sweetwater County, Wyoming. This made him a member of the “Four Mile Club” and a fellowship in exploratory ultra-deep horizon drilling. Bill worked in the oil production industry from the late 1960s to the early 1990s. He worked all around the intermountain west Wyoming, Utah, and Nevada into North Dakota, to California and Washington State. The last 30 years, he took his mechanic skills and worked for various shops in Evanston, Wyoming. Being the social butterfly he was, he made many friends. Bill is survived by his wife Lorraine; sons Alex, John (Justine), and Bill (Melinda); daughters Lillian (Flint), Julie (David), and Carole (Jerry); stepdaughters Ellen (Jeremy), Patricia, Joann, Donna, and Lori; his sister Mary; 32 grandchildren; and 16 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his son Jerry. Charles Louis “Chuck” Battersby, Jr. (1955~2024) With sadness, the New Jersey Ground Water Association reported the passing of longtime member Charles Louis “Chuck” Battersby, Jr., 69, of Upper Township, on July 21, 2024. Known affectionately as “Chuck, Charlie, Drywell, Surferdude, or Flatlander,” Chuck left a footprint on every person he encountered, sometimes literally as he could often be found barefoot. Chuck was raised on a farm in Marmora where he had a fondness for chickens and all other creatures alike, refusing to eat “yard bird” his entire life. As a child, Chuck participated in boy scouts, was an avid wrestler, and always enjoyed anything he could take apart and create havoc toward. After high school, he joined the Marmora Fire Department along with the Upper Township Rescue Squad, becoming a life member and serving as assistant chief and chief. Chuck also assisted his father with his well business and carried on that legacy until he left us - finding pride in helping the community fix water in their homes, sometimes being gifted a horse, cow, flowers, plants, food, and other miscellaneous items people found valuable in exchange for his service. He was also very proud to work for Atlantic City Electric Company for 31 years, retiring as a troubleman and a life member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. You could always find Chuck in his garage, tinkering with a motor, remodeling an antique car, watching a movie, building anything of his imagination, or preparing for his coveted Saturday night “men’s only poker game.” A creature of habit, Chuck maintained a routine of Wawa coffee and the newspapers, breakfast at Ralph’s bagels, or riding on the beach with his wife and best friend Debbie - where you would often see Debbie hopping out of the back seat of the truck, because their various dogs were always found sitting in the passenger seat. He will be greatly missed at his favorite car show, Lead East, and will be remembered for his kindness and loyalty - even during his last hours, asking friends and family if they needed anything and what he could do for them. Chuck is survived by his soulmate Debbie; daughters Jamie (Ray) and Jeniffer; grandchildren Hailey, Hannah, Frederick, and Olivia; and most recently his beloved Oscar, in addition to the extended family and friends who were fixtures in his life. Lest we forget . . .
9 SEPTEMBER 2024 WorldWide Drilling Resource® Schramm Powered by Epiroc: A Shared Vision Schramm Powered by Epiroc is a powerhouse of the surface drilling industry, having Schramm’s unrivaled expertise in reverse circulation drilling combined with Epiroc’s global infrastructure and 16,000 employees provides everything customers need to start - and keep - exploring. As the integration enters its second year, the focus is on increased capacity, customer support, shorter lead times, and training Epiroc employees on Schramm products. Epiroc stands to gain much from the Schramm integration. According to Product Manager David Benton, “Adding Schramm to the Epiroc portfolio bridges a crucial gap in product offerings. We now cover the essential segments related to mineral sample extraction, from in-pit grade control drilling to high-capacity remote greenfields exploration.” Integrating Schramm into Epiroc is also a massive logistical feat consisting of thousands of individual parts, assemblies, records, blueprints, and procedures. Schramm equipment and part numbers have been successfully incorporated into Epiroc sales systems. This means customers can order Schramm capital equipment and tooling through Epiroc channels and customer centers worldwide. Major enhancements are also underway at the rig production facility in Perth, Australia, designed to double production volume by 2025. Comprehensive capacity reviews in the works for the hammers and bits facility will meet growing market demands and improve operational efficiency. For a link to this website, visit this page at: worldwidedrillingresource.com Schramm Powered by Epiroc facilities now feature updated signage reflecting the new logo and branding.
85 sales@aardva “Quality Packers Y Mechanical Inflatable Environmental Geotechnica Packer Parts 55-546-6488 arkpackers com You Can Count On” Wireline Straddle al Mining Grout Packers Custom Design s aardvarkpackers.com sales@aardvarkpackers.com 10 SEPTEMBER 2024 WorldWide Drilling Resource® Technology Brought the Permian Basin Back to Life Adapted from Information by Chevron The Permian Basin is a shale basin about 250 miles wide and 300 miles long, spanning parts of west Texas and southeastern New Mexico. It includes the highly prolific Delaware and Midland subbasins. Nicole Champenoy, shale and tight asset class director for Chevron, recalls assessing the Permian Basin’s potential about a decade ago, when the gas and oil industry was facing a years long challenge. Vast amounts of oil remained beneath the surface, but figuring out a way to release it was proving difficult. The oil was trapped in dense rock, and technologies at the time weren’t sophisticated enough to recover it economically. “It was a bit of a tease,” said Champenoy. “We knew the oil was there, but the industry didn’t know how to get it out of the ground.” Technological advancements helped teams like Champenoy's overcome those obstacles and transformed production in the Permian Basin. These innovative techniques included: Horizontal drilling - Drilling down through thousands of feet of ground, before switching directions and moving sideways to reach the targeted oil reserve. Hydraulic fracturing - Injecting fluids into the underground rock at pressures high enough to create fractures. This opens pathways in the rock that allow gas and oil to flow. The combination of these techniques turned the Permian Basin, which had been declining for over 30 years, into one of the world’s largest oil reserves. “The Permian Basin has become the gift that just keeps giving.” Today, Chevron embraces a factory approach to drilling wells in the Permian Basin. This approach has proven to be consistent, repeatable, and fast. After the company drills a series of horizontal wells from a single well pad, it completes the wells using hydraulic fracturing. This model: > Helped prioritize the most promising opportunities. > Lowered drilling costs, cut the time from start of drilling to first production, and increased the number of wells each rig drilled. > Tripled the pace of Chevron’s drilling program. To meet the energy needs of today and tomorrow, the company uses a range of advanced technologies to boost well performance in the Permian Basin, including: Predictive Analytics is used to make decisions related to exploration strategy, resource characterization, drilling, and the final stages of well construction. Advanced Data Analytics digitizes the way the company works in the Basin to develop more productive wells. Advanced Mapping of Rock Layers leads to a better understanding of where resources are located. This allows the company to concentrate on the most promising opportunities. Proprietary Modeling Tools use machine learning and artificial intelligence to choose the best spacing for wells. These tools provide information about the best way to prepare a well for production, decreasing development costs. A Proprietary Forecasting Tool is used before pumping liquid during hydraulic fracturing. This tool is able to forecast the likely results and monitor the site extensively. This not only lowers the cost of well preparation for production, it also allows producers to get more from each well. Proprietary Technology to Assemble Drills uses advanced modeling and analysis to improve bit life and effectiveness. Champenoy is excited about the idea of continuing to innovate to grow production in the Permian Basin. “Increasing production beyond what we are doing today is a complex problem, and it is very rewarding to be part of this journey,” she said. “We’ve come so far in the past decade, but we have so much ahead of us. It’s an awesome time to be working in shale.” Editor’s Note: In between our print issues, the WWDR Team prepares an electronic newsletter called E-News Flash by WorldWide by WorldWide Drilling Resource®. This newsletter is filled with articles not included in our print issue. Based on readership, this was the most popular article of the month. Get in on the action and subscribe today at: worldwidedrillingresource.com G&O Nicole Champenoy said Chevron’s factory model for shale and tight development is important due to the sheer volume of wells it must process.
11 SEPTEMBER 2024 WorldWide Drilling Resource® Orica Celebrates 150 Years Adapted from Information by Orica Founded in June 1874, as a supplier of explosives to the Victorian gold fields in Australia, Orica has grown to be one of the world’s leading mining and infrastructure solution providers, with more than 12,500 employees operating in over 100 countries around the globe. Orica has pioneered researchled innovation, while maintaining proud traditions of safety, respect, teamwork, integrity, and excellence. Orica has grown to become one of the leading publicly owned companies listed on the Australian Securities Exchange. The original company, Jones, Scott and Co., was bought by Nobel Explosives which went on to merge with Brunner Mond and Co., United Alkali Company, and British Dyestuffs Corporation to form Imperial Chemical Industries Plc (ICI). Throughout the journey there have been several transformations. In 1883, Nobel Explosives purchased the Brownsburg plant originally founded by Daniel Smith’s Hamilton Powder Company to produce black powder, which was used for hunting, quarrying, and land clearing. The company, which changed its name to the Australian Explosives and Chemical Company in 1888, stopped making powders in 1892. By the end of World War I, it had moved into the heavy chemical industry. In 1940, Imperial Chemical Industries of Australia and New Zealand (ICIANZ) commissioned a detonator plant, an ammonia fertilizer plant at Deer Park, as well as a phosphorus plant beside the Yarraville chemical works. Production of ammonium chloride and hydrochloric acid began in Mayfield, in 1942. By 1956, Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies opened ICIANZ’s new research lab in Ascot Vale, Melbourne. Imperial Chemical Industries of Australia and New Zealand (ICIANZ) became ICI Australia in 1971. When parent company ICI divested its major shareholding in ICI Australia in 1997, a new independent Australasian company was formed; and on February 2, 1998, they became known as Orica. In 2015, the company sold its chemicals division which became an independent company called Ixom. In 2018, the acquisition of GroundProbe, a global market leader in the provision of critical monitoring and measurement technologies for the mining sector was made. The acquisition of Exsa, Peru’s leading manufacturer and distributor of industrial explosives, happened in 2020; a year later, RIG Technologies and Hopper Industrial Group formed part of their orebody intelligence and digital solutions portfolio. During 2022, the company acquired Axis Mining Technology, a leader in the design, development, and manufacture of special-ized geospatial tools and instruments for the mining industry. This year, Orica acquired Cyanco, a U.S.-based leader in the manufacture and distribution of sodium cyanide. As Orica continues to evolve further into the global company it is today, they continue to maintain proud traditions of safety, leadership, innovation, sustainability, and quality. EXB Detonator plant and ammonia fertilizer plant at Deer Park. 302-684-319 & Mfg., Inc. Atlantic Scree et om ducts 97 en E-mail: atlantic@ce.ne Atlantic-Screen.co Clear PVC Pipe j Inline Chemical Mixers j ell Rehabilitation Prod jW DE 142 Broadkill Rd Milton, ½” - 24 ranging fr Perforated of Slotted Manufactu Fax: 302-384-0643 more! MUCH And j Bailers Sampling j Locking Caps j Filter Sock j Bentonite j Manholes j Pipe Clear PVC 4” rom Pipe and urers E 19968
12 SEPTEMBER 2024 WorldWide Drilling Resource® The Slot Machine Gas Pump Adapted from Information by American Oil & Gas Historical Society (AOGHS) Have you ever heard of a coin-operated gas pump? Inventors began experimenting with ways to make user-friendly pumps as soon as gas stations started to appear. One of the ideas for a self-service gasoline pump was a coin-operated one, inspired by penny gumball machines. Lewis Starkey and his wife ran a service station in Fort Collins, Colorado. Starkey was constantly being awakened during the night by tourists who wanted gasoline, so his wife came up with the idea of making a gas pump to dispense gas without Starkey having to get out of bed. This gave Starkey the idea of a coinoperated pump. An automatic pump did not require an attendant. It allowed motorists to insert a half-dollar coin into the slot and turn the crank. This is how it got its name “The Gasoline Slot Machine.” Starkey Oil and Gas company made one of the better known coin-operated pumps which used electricity instead of a manual cranking system. The company produced two models of the coin-operated pump. “Unfortunately, Starkey allowed his patent to expire on one of the key components in his pumps,” Canadian historian K.J. Zeoli reported. The component, a silent mercury switch which prevented electrical circuit sparks, went on to be used by thousands in the construction business.” The company was later sold to Gas-O-Mat Inc. of Denver. Commercial names like Beacon, Gas-O-Mat, and others disappeared in a flurry of patents that could not overcome challenges of coin-operated pumps. Gasoline dispensing automation seemed like a good idea, you could sell gas 24 hours a day without effort, but it was simply lacking in technology to make it work. One coin-operated pump had about two dollars in real currency and $37 in lead slugs, buttons, and counterfeit coins for its first 500 gallons of gasoline. As a result, gasoline filling stations with uniformed attendants continued to expand nationwide. Examples of the gas pump slot machines can be seen today in museums. G&O
13 SEPTEMBER 2024 WorldWide Drilling Resource® WHO’S IN THE NEWS Send your announcements to bonnie@worldwidedrillingresource.com Thiess Celebration In addition to celebrating its 90th Anniversary, Australian company Thiess is commemorating more than 3 million feet of autonomous drilling at its Mt. Arthur South operation in New South Wales. To reach this milestone, a fleet of three Cat MD-series drills running with the Cat MineStar™ Command Autonomous Drill System was used, allowing a remotely located operator to control the three drills simultaneously. Head of Autonomy and Operations Technology for Thiess Trent Smith said, “Working in partnership with WesTrac and Caterpillar, we took a drill that didn't have any automation capability and went on the journey as a team to bring through what is now three drills running autonomously with a single controller.” For more information, click on this box in our online issue. DFI Educational Trust The Deep Foundations Institute (DFI) Educational Trust announced the creation of the William F. Loftus Memorial Scholarship Fund in memory of William F. “Bill” Loftus who passed away earlier this year. Bill was a DFI founder and the only DFI president to serve the organization twice in that role. The fund will provide scholarships to undergraduate and graduate civil engineering students in the department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Manhattan College, Bill’s alma mater.
14 SEPTEMBER 2024 WorldWide Drilling Resource® Celebrating Half a Century of Explosives Engineering Adapted from Information by the International Society of Explosives Engineers (ISEE) ISEE began its 50th anniversary celebration earlier this year at its 50th Annual Conference on Explosives and Blasting Technique in Savannah, Georgia. On the final night of the conference, an impressive fireworks demonstration was presented from a barge on the Savannah River. ISEE started from humble beginnings with big aspirations, when a group of professionals from both industry and government envisioned the need for a national organization to advance the art and science of explosives engineering, with the idea it would someday become an international organization. On August 20, 1974, nine men met in room 219 of the Sheraton Motor Inn in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A constitution and set of bylaws were formed while the group discussed the first conference. The founders also discussed a dues structure and recruited the first board of directors for the Society of Explosives Engineers (SEE), which would later become the International Society of Explosive Engineers. The first SEE conference took place in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1975, with approximately 100 people in attendance. By February 5, 1975, the society had a total of 23 paid members and $2500 in the treasury. A flagship newsletter was created which later turned into a full color magazine, the Journal of Explosives Engineering, containing information on new technology and techniques, interesting projects, industry news, chapter news, and regulatory news. It is still published today, connecting members worldwide to new ideas, new techniques, and new concepts. Over the years, as the society grew, it became necessary to hire a full-time executive director to continue growth. In the years following, strategic decisions were made to elevate the volunteer-driven society to a new level. With teamwork from staff and volunteers, many chapters were chartered, Level 1 and 2 Certificate programs were produced, the Explosives Reference Database was released (now available on OneMine®), the society obtained the rights to publish the Blasters’ Handbook, ISEE books were published by industry experts, and the SEE Foundation was formed - issuing more than $1 million to students to date. In the future, ISEE will continue what the founders envisioned with dedicated volunteers and ISEE staff working together to enhance the safety, science, skill, and benefit of explosives engineering worldwide. Tom Dowling and Cal Konya - two of the founders of ISEE. ISEE members, along with the entire city of Savannah, enjoyed the fireworks display put together by explosives engineers for explosives engineers, at the 50th Annual Conference. EXB Looking for Events? Click on this box in our online issue worldwidedrillingresource.com
15 SEPTEMBER 2024 WorldWide Drilling Resource® The “Idiots” Corner by “Billy Bob Smith” Business Idiots I generally talk about individuals who act like idiots, but I have also seen many organizations including nonprofits, corporations, and associations act like a bunch of idiots, so this month I would like to discuss a simple issue many corporations have as a part of their philosophy, processes, and behaviors. Yes, hundreds of books have been written about many of the following topics, but one topic in particular seems to be coming to the surface more often than in previous years and what is this - policies that get in the way of customer loyalty, new business, and market definition. I won’t cover them all, just what I feel are a few of the major ones. Don’t organizations realize they are losing customers and business because of some of the following approaches? Yes, every one of the following topics could be a much longer article or even a book, but if you are a commonsense leader, just a few words for each topic will get your attention. ; Sending telephone calls to overseas individuals. Ever had a problem understanding an individual and they were supposed to be solving a problem? I had a client tell me he was talking to the organization person who was one of his suppliers when they said, “I can’t understand you,” then they hung up. Recently, I was sent to a lady for one of my suppliers who was in the Philippines. Every other sentence of mine was, “Please repeat that - I can’t understand you.” Now I am not being disrespectful to folks who work outside the U.S., but when I am paying a lot of money for one of my suppliers' services and I call them to resolve, I don’t want to have to call back several times until I get someone I can understand. ; Companies that force me to use technology and a robot while connected with them on my computer to resolve a problem. I spent two hours trying to find a telephone number so I could have an in-person conversation. And trust me, with AI, some of these problems are going to get worse. ; Companies that promise a lot, but don’t deliver because according to ten pages of “fine print written” policies and regulations I don’t have time to read. They just stretch the truth or what I refer to as promising a lot and delivering less. ; Hiring potentially poor employees without either vetting them according to backgrounds or references, or only using the Internet for the hiring process. Sorry folks, yes, there are great potential employees you can discover out there, but there are also a lot of idiots. In the end, hiring more idiots won’t help your potential growth and profits. ; Having a stupid employee review process which are just superficial reviews and don’t even touch the real issues. ; Opening in a new location or moving to a different place without proper research about the ability of the new location’s potential services to help you grow or current challenges you will now avoid. ; Mergers or acquisitions done for the wrong reasons - just for the money growth, improved reputation, pandering to certain market segments, senior management or ownership ego, better available employee market, etc. ; Compensation programs that were common 50 years ago, but are no longer relevant or appropriate. ; Sharing information about a product or service you are changing or introducing to the market with your customer base or potential new clients before letting your employees become aware of them. ; Promoting an employee for a new position they have no experience in - i.e. promoting one of your salespeople to sales or regional manager. ; Treating employees who are family or related in some way better or different than nonfamily members. I could go on for pages, but I believe I have made my point. There are a lot of idiots running organizations today and they are wondering why they are losing business, employees, or market share. Billy Bob Contact him via e-mail to michele@worldwidedrillingresource.com Louisiana Ground Water Association (LGWA) Make plans to attend the 2025 LGWA Convention & Trade Show January 7-8, 2025 Paragon Casino Resort Marksville, Louisiana Registration Form Online https://LGWA.org Discount Code LGJ06GR
16 SEPTEMBER 2024 WorldWide Drilling Resource® The Unveiling of McElroy Museum Adapted from Information by McElroy Manufacturing, Inc. Art McElroy took the first step in realizing his dream by starting his company in a small garage in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Art and Panny put their honest work ethic into motion and watched their dream come to fruition in 1954 with the creation of McElroy Manufacturing, Inc. In the early 1960s, McElroy became a forerunner in the market for fintube machinery. Art McElroy refined the design of the machine as we know it over a period of about 15 years. At the end of the 1960s, McElroy was shipping fintube machinery across the globe. In June, McElroy hosted a ribbon cutting to commemorate the opening of the McElroy Museum. Located in the company’s new, 193,000-square-foot Tulsa metro campus, the McElroy Museum details the 70-plus-year history of the company. The museum is made up of a series of vignettes, each showcasing a milestone in McElroy’s history. This includes the first products designed by founder Art McElroy, the company’s foray into fintube and butt fusion equipment, and the evolution of its digital and equipment offerings. Other vignettes show different marketing collateral and promotional items from decades past, such as vintage shirts and hats. “What you see here is a testament to the legacy of McElroy’s commitment to quality and the relationships we’ve cultivated throughout our history,” said McElroy President and CEO Chip McElroy. “We can’t wait to share this experience with our channel partners, customers, and others who visit this campus.” A walkway guides visitors through the exhibits, beginning with McElroy’s founding in 1954, and culminating with the advent of the TracStar® and machines for the polypropylene market. In the middle of the space, a nook with seating showcases some of the different educational and promotional videos produced by the company over the years. McElroy’s in-house creative team handled all aspects of the museum’s design and execution, from the layout and flow of exhibits, to choosing which elements to incorporate. The museum’s design allows exhibits to be rotated or updated as needed, giving guests a unique experience each time they visit. “It’s been an enormous undertaking, but our team rose to the challenge and created something that we’re all proud of,” said Creative Services Manager Corey George. “We’re excited to see others get to experience the museum now that it’s complete.” Art McElroy was an outstanding inventor, engineer, designer, and businessman who established strongholds in three separate industries before his death in 1988. During the same year, his son Chip took over the direction of the company leading it through its greatest period of economic growth. McElroy has placed its stamp on the world as a leader in engineering and manufacturing. The McElroy of today is eagerly expanding and offering both fintube and pipe fusion products in new markets across the globe. McElroy is building on its history of innovation. Art and Panny McElroy GEO McElroy President and CEO Chip McElroy, Executive Vice President of Finance/Treasury Donna (McElroy) Dutton, and Executive Vice President of International Market Development Peggy (McElroy) Tanner join in cutting the ribbon for the McElroy Museum. For more information call: (270) 786-3010 or visit us online: www.geothermalsupply.com All New! Atlantis-Pro Vault • Traffic-Rated Capable • Simple installation • Trouble-free operation Time for a Little Fun! August Puzzle Solution: Win a prize! Send completed puzzle to: WWDR PO Box 660 Bonifay, FL 32425 fax: 850-547-0329 or e-mail: michele@ worldwidedrillingresource.com Place the five letters of the word on the left into the blanks on the right to form a common ten-letter word. PIECE _ X _ E R _ _ N _ E ROUND P _ O _ _ C T I _ _ CLUES S _ C _ _ S _ F U _ COMIC _ _ M _ E R _ _ A L STAGE S _ R _ T _ _ I E _ Congratulations to: Ron Lemmon, Homer City, PA Winner for August!
17 SEPTEMBER 2024 WorldWide Drilling Resource® BBB Rating: A+ Click for Profile Here at Palmer Bit our goal is to: • Provide superior customer service. • Provide high-quality products. • 24-Hour turnaround on repairs. • Fastest lead times in the industry for new products. • Provide knowledge to help you choose the best bit for the formation you’re drilling in. Our lead time for small quantity orders is 1-3 business days; for large quantity orders, 3-6 days. We also customize bits to suit your needs. Please check out our website, www.palmerbit.com, or call us at 1-800-421-2487 with any questions. PDC Hole Opener Diamond Devil PDC Red Devil Step Type Red Devil Double Chevron Foundations by: Deep Foundations Institute Working Platform Design & Verification October 3 & 17 ~ ONLINE phone: 973-423-4030 www.dfi.org Geothermal by: GEOptimize Certified GeoExchange Design (CGD) Online Course October 1-December 3 (Tuesdays) ~ ONLINE phone: 204-318-2156 www.geoptimize.com/training Groundwater / Water Well by: Washington St. Ground Water Assn Driller & Pump Installer Seminar October 26 ~ Spokane, WA phone: 360-757-1551 www.wsgwa.org Irrigation by: Rain Bird Academy Training October 7-11 ~ Sacramento, CA October 7-11 ~ Durham, NC October 14-18 ~ Tuscaloosa, AL October 14-18 ~ Memphis, TN October 21-25 ~ Bakersfield, CA October 21-25 ~ Charleston, SC October 28-Nov. 1 ~ Fort Myers, FL October 28-Nov. 1 ~ Rock Hill, SC phone: 800-498-1942 E-mail: training@rainbird.com Pipe by: McElroy University Inspector Qualification - Spanish October 14-16 ~ Tulsa, OK phone: 918-836-8611 www.mcelroy.com Rig Operation, Maintenance, Service by: Equipment Corporation of America BAUER Operator Training October 14-18 ~ Jacksonville, FL phone: 904-284-1779 www.ecanet.com Education Connection Tunnelling by: Colorado School of Mines Tunneling Fundamentals, Practice and Innovations October 14-17 ~ Golden, CO phone: 303-384-2690 www.learn.mines.edu More education opportunities during events can be found by clicking here online at: worldwidedrillingresource.com I have enjoyed your magazine over these years and appreciate you sending it to my company. John Georgia If you enjoy this magazine, let us know. 850-547-0102 If not, let us know why not.
6707 Netherlands Drive Wilmington, NC 28405 O M 919 694 1114 *2005 512 789 9709 E m.epley@sonicsampdrill.com I www.royaleijkelkamp.com/en-us/ Mike Epley Drilling Sales Manager 18 SEPTEMBER 2024 WorldWide Drilling Resource® REACH MORE PEOPLE at a fraction of the cost, with WWDR’s IN-PRINT-ONLINE magazine! No extra fees! The first intentional use of drilling fluid was at Spindletop near Beaumont, Texas, in 1901. They were having problems with the hole caving. One member of the crew was a water well drilling professional from the Dakotas. He remembered they had successfully stabilized caving holes by using clay. It was midsummer and there was water in a nearby pond. There were also cattle nearby, so they herded the cattle into the pond and made them move around to stir up the clay on the bottom of the pond. They then pumped the clay solution into the hole and successfully stabilized the hole. The practical use of rotary drilling in the oilfield was established in 1910. The largest hand dug hole was near Greensburg, Kansas, started in 1887 and completed in 1888. It was 32 feet in diameter and dug to a depth of 109 feet. Crews of 12 to 15 local workers were used. The hole was cribbed and braced every 12 feet. Roughly 1,137,853 pounds of material were removed from the hole. It was used until 1932. The deepest hole drilled in the oil field was the Kola Superdeep Borehole. It was drilled in the Soviet Union to a depth of 40,229 feet and a bottom hole temperature of 356ºF (180ºC). It was not problem free. It was started in 1970 and stopped in 1989. The longest hole drilled was drilled by Exxon, also in the Soviet Union, to a length of 40,640 feet. That is a brief synopsis of the drilling industry. It continues to change and develop with new improved technology. Always remember, “A man has to know his limitations,” but he doesn’t have to be defined by them. He can raise the bar. Working together, it is amazing where we can go. Let’s enjoy the trip! If you have any questions on drilling fluids or if you have another topic you would like addressed, remember this column is ours. Your input helps me make it of value to you. It needs to be an interactive tool. I need your feedback. Please send your suggestions to Michele (below) and she will get them to me. Ron Ron Peterson may be contacted via e-mail to michele@worldwidedrillingresource.com Peterson Cont’d from page 7.
Association Need Help? 850-547-0102 - Ronnie 19 SEPTEMBER 2024 WorldWide Drilling Resource® The Un-Comfort Zone II by Robert Evans Wilson, Jr. Living Your Most Authentic Life When I first started speaking professionally I would open every speech with five to ten minutes of comedy. I did this partly because I enjoy making people laugh, but more so because I didn’t feel my speeches offered enough value without it for me to be paid. In other words, I didn’t believe I was good enough. Then a client said to me, “Your opening is funny, but it’s not necessary; your core message is very powerful and the best thing you have to say.” It didn’t happen right away, but eventually I came to realize she was right, my message could stand on its own, and I didn’t need to dress it up in humor. It was back in high school I created my funny guy persona. I would make humorous quips in class to get my classmates to laugh, but not often enough to irritate the teachers (I wanted them to like me too). I thought it would make me popular, or at least immune to bullying. I thought it was working, but what actually made me popular was showing interest in people when I talked with them. Unfortunately, I couldn’t see it at the time, so I continued with the funny guy persona for many years. Okay, I still do it, but I’m finally coming to an understanding of why. It’s all part of my persona to be a people pleaser. My mother raised me that way. She was narcissistic and demanded a lot of attention, and when she didn’t get her way, she made everyone around her miserable. No one was allowed to have emotions but Mother. I wasn’t allowed to be angry Wilson Cont’d on page 20.
20 SEPTEMBER 2024 WorldWide Drilling Resource® or sad. Oh, but I was allowed to be funny. I quickly learned love came with a price tag: achievement. If I wanted Mother’s love and attention, I had to earn it. I recall during my first year in school breaking down in tears when I couldn’t answer a question or solve a problem on a test. I grew up learning that love was conditional. Whether it was a blue ribbon for winning the hundred-yard dash, or becoming an Eagle Scout, every scrap of approbation I received garnered a moment of precious loving attention and motivated me to strive for more. She was also manipulative and lacked boundaries. She would frequently start crying abruptly and wail, “Nobody loves me!” which was my cue to rush over and assure her I loved her. This led me to develop a rescuer persona; I didn’t know how to set boundaries with the people in my life. Over time, I slowly came to understand I needed to be true to myself. It was never a complete revelation, but was triggered incrementally by specific events. As I’ve written before in this space, I played high school football not because I enjoyed the game, but because I wanted to get girls interested in me. The result was a severe injury which almost cost me a leg. It was a painful lesson I only partially learned because I repeatedly pursued jobs, relationships, even leisure activities for the wrong reasons. Among those was abandoning my lifelong dream of being a fiction writer when I agreed to become a partner in my ex-wife’s business - a job I truly hated, that no amount of hard work and diligence could overcome (see my previous article: I was a Repeat Offender at Giving Up My Power in the May 2024 WWDR). Then two years ago, a friend of my mother’s helped me confirm the facts of my origin (see my previous article: My Parents Were Married, but I was a Bastard by Law in the August 2023 WWDR); I had an epiphany when she said to me, “I believe everyone should know the truth so that they can live their most authentic life.” Those words really stuck with me because I never thought of them together like that. I have written about being true to yourself; and I’ve written about being authentic, but for the longest time I didn’t realize I was not living an authentic life. We are so indoctrinated, propagandized, and socialized that we don’t know who we truly are. Each of us is born authentic, but as we grow up, there are constant social pressures on us to conform, fit in, or simply go along to get along to the point that our true selves are suppressed (along with our natural curiosity and creativity that can help us find our true selves). Now the trick is recovering who I truly am. This is where my shadow work (a method of uncovering and healing repressed emotional wounds from the past that hold us back in the present) can help me. Living authentically means all of our actions are guided by truth. Sometimes we know when we are living a lie. Other times we don’t because we are living behind a protective mask or persona. We may have created this protection in childhood to shield us from harm or trauma which no longer exists in adulthood, but our subconscious mind is still operating on the old childhood software. Alternatively, it may be the words of our parents, on whom our lives were once dependent, still hold authority over us via our inner dialogue. Finding these fears and limiting beliefs is when re-parenting your inner child can help uncover what is holding us back, and enable us to move forward authentically. Living authentically can also mean expanding your consciousness and living with purpose. Expanding consciousness is about removing emotional blocks and limiting beliefs so you can become aware of your authentic self, i.e., what you genuinely like, desire, enjoy, or care about - in brief - your purpose. Meditating, journaling, and living in the present are excellent ways to expand consciousness. A fulfilling life lived authentically in truth, means we are pursuing knowledge and activities which engage our natural talents and make us happy. A good method for finding your purpose is to follow your joy. When you feel joy, it is such a powerful emotion it speaks truth from the depths of your subconscious. Now that is what living an authentic life is about! Robert Robert is an innovation/change speaker, author, and consultant. He works with companies that want to be more competitive through innovation and with people who want to think more creatively. Contact him via e-mail to michele@worldwidedrillingresource.com Wilson Cont’d from page 19.
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