Drilling with reverse rotary

Drilling with reverse rotary

In order to drill a reverse rotary well — a well in which you will be excavating the hole and depositing the drill cuttings at the surface — a site suitable in size is necessary to accommodate the rig, pit and related equipment and materials.

The rig itself, assuming the rig tractor does not stay with it, measures generally nine feet by 30 feet, not including the mast length when in highway transport position. Approximately three feet of walk area should be allowed on either side of the rig. The working area in front of the rig at the rotary table should be about five feet minimum by nine feet wide.

The drill rod is laid in line with the drill rig. If, for example, it comes in 20 foot lengths, allow a storage space approximately 12 feet wide.

The pit is usually constructed next to the rig with space for the tool or crew shanty between the two. The pit should be excavated to sufficiently hold the anticipated volume of drillings removed from the hole and at least an equivalent amount of water.

The rig pump will discharge into one end of the pit and the drilling water will flow by gravity from the other end of the pit through the flow casing into the surface casing and on down into the hole. The suction action of the rig pump lifts the water and drill cuttings up through the bit and drill rod, through the pump and out into the pit.