During the horizontal directional drilling boom in the 1990s, most of the drilling fluid that existed was meant for vertical applications. As such, drillers and contractors didn’t see the need for anything besides water. Some of the old-schoolers among us might still be apprehensive to use modern HDD drilling fluid, thinking of it as overly complex — and expensive. However, most tend to come around after seeing the kind of results it can bring to the jobsite. Whether you’re a skeptic, a recent convert or a true believer, you may still have some questions about HDD drilling fluids, so we’re here to offer a little guidance in this high-level overview.
