The Effects of Directional Drilling Fluids on the Environment Shannan Casteel Undergraduate Student (Professional Communication Concentration) Department of English Tennessee Technological University Cookeville, TN 38505

Introduction Problem: Directional Drilling Fluids may be damaging to the environment Objective: To determine the effects of various Directional Drilling Fluids on the environment

Introduction (cont.)

Literature Review Literature Summary:  Drill Fluid Functions (Eide 1990)  Operator Intentions (Wassenborg 2000)  Toxicity of Drilling Fluids (Young 2006) Water Based Oil Based  Possible benefit of drilling waste (Bauder et. al. 2005)  Government Regulations (Urquhart 1998)

Introduction (cont.) Drill Fluid Uses:  Drill head lubrication  Cutting  Transport waste to surface Possible Problems stem from:  Erosion  Groundwater contaminants Alternatives to Directional Drilling Fluids Miscellaneous  Some drilling fluids may aid tree-growth

Introduction (cont.) Hypothesis: Directional Drilling Fluids have relatively no effect on the environment Null Hypothesis: Directional Drilling Fluids have a significant effect on the surrounding environment Goals: To determine the effects of Directional Drilling Fluids on the surrounding environment

Methods & Materials Comparative observations used by NWS in United States “Tornado Alley” for comparing tornado damage zones (NWS 2002) Visited 5 Horizontal Directional Drill Sites Recorded data on Data FormData Form Analyzed data and pictures and formulated conclusions

Results Amount of Fluid Used (See Chart 1):See Chart 1  Bore Length  Soil Type  Operator Skill  Type of Fluid Erosion rare-Drilling fluids have no more effect than a steady rain Alternatives to Drilling Testing inconclusive, more testing needed  Focus on Groundwater contaminants  Concentrate on single fluid type

Drilling (Before)

Pictures (After)

Alternative

Video DD-3238, Stuart, FL

Discussion More Testing Needed  Single Fluid Type  Modified Experimental Design Drill Fluid Functions (Eide 1990) Toxicity of Drilling Fluids (Young 2005)  HDD primarily uses Water-Based Fluids  Oil Well drilling uses Oil-Based Fluids Operator Intentions (Wassenborg 2000)  Inexperienced operators use too much fluid  Operators under severe timelines use too much fluid

End Presentation Questions?