How to Handle Head-Scratchers: Advice for Difficult Drilling Challenges

05/07/19 By: Bill Poupis

Drilling can be a difficult business, but there are certain types of projects that would make even the most experienced driller scratch his or her head. These are the projects that seem to find their way to Bill Poupis, the Vice President of Operations at Aquifer Drilling & Testing, a Cascade Company (ADT). He’s seen a lot over the course of his 38-year career, and has shared his expertise and insight about some of the most common uncommon challenges.

In this blog post, we’ll share the “Best of Bill,” but you can also hear from him directly in this on-demand webinar, “Critical Discussions to Have Before You Start Drilling.” He's joined by Cascade’s Sr. former Vice President of EHS, Michael Gentry, and our Fleet & Maintenance Director, Ken Allen.

DIFFICULT DRILLING: THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN RESTRICTED ACCESS AND LIMITED ACCESS

Difficult drilling projects almost always have at least one thing in common—they have limited or restricted access. The phrase “restricted access” refers to an area that’s difficult to get equipment to, and “limited access” refers to a site with dimensions or other restrictions that limit the tools that can be used. This means that due either to the location of the site or characteristics of the drill site itself, you need to give careful consideration to the technologies you choose, the contractor you work with, and the project and safety plan you put into place. In this blog post, Bill dives into several real-life scenarios he’s faced, and how he and his team decided to overcome each challenge.

DEEP DIVE INTO OVER WATER DRILLING

If you have an overwater drilling project coming up, there are serious challenges involved that don’t occur with land-based drilling. There are logistical issues to address and safety preparations to make, in addition to finding contractors experienced in barged-based drilling operations. In this blog post, Bill explains three key things you need to consider before launching an over water drilling project: contractor capabilities and previous experience; pre-planning for an extremely restricted access drill site; and the certifications and permits that will be required from any relevant agencies, ranging from the city and state to possibly the Department of Transportation (DOT) and Coast Guard.

CHOOSING SONIC FOR TIEBACK PROJECTS

Every drilling project faces obstacles, but tieback anchor installation projects add the complexity of working along the shoreline. There are many considerations for this type of work, including human safety and the potential for waste spillage, but Bill points out that the choice of technology can make a big difference. In this post, he discusses how to determine if sonic is the best choice for a tieback anchor installation project.