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Drill
Bits Magazine
![[ Drill Bits ]](../../images/drillbits_biglogo.gif) |
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The
official magazine of the National Drilling Association.
Drill Bits magazine is published three times each calendar
year, April, July and October. Members of the National
Drilling Association receive complimentary copies as
part of their membership benefits. |
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Polyurethane Grouting of Rye Patch Lost Circulation
Zone
A geothermal power plant was planned in Rye Patch, Nevada,
but the developers ran into problems when they began drilling
wells in the proposed area. What the drillers encountered
was a lost circulation zone. This is where drilling muds
or other substances are used to recover any rock, dirt,
or other debris that results from the drilling process.
The drilling muds cause this debris to rise to the top
of the well for removal. In a lost circulation zone, this
recovery of debris does not work for any number of reasons,
such as cross flow or voids within the borehole. Lost
circulation is one of the most persistent problems associated
with geothermal drilling, accounting for 10 to 20 percent
of total drilling costs. Lost circulation can result in
numerous other drilling problems including stuck drill
pipe, damaged bits, slow penetration rates, and collapsed
boreholes. Traditionally, lost circulation zones are filled
with cement plugs. By filling the borehole with cement
and then drilling through the cement, any cross flows
or voids are blocked off which allows drillers the ability
to remove drilling debris from the borehole. Read
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NDA Member Drills the Way to Underground Information
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A Limited Access Project
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National Drilling Association • 3511 Center Rd., Suite 8 • Brunswick, Ohio 44212 |
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