Without reliable directional drilling equipment, the gas and oil industry wouldn’t be nearly as safe or successful as it is today, nor would any job that requires the careful installation of underground pipes and cables. Directional drilling equipment is often specialized to suit one of four main groups: directional drilling of oilfields, utility installation drilling (horizontal directional drilling), directional boring, and surface in seam (SIS) which perpendicularly intersects a vertical well target to extract methane from coal beds. Here is a look at where the industry has come from and where directional drilling equipment will head in the future.

A Tried and Tested Venture
When directional drilling services were first put to work in the 1920’s, they changed the face of the industry. Over the last 20 years alone the technological developments made by the industry has placed auger drilling as the number one method for many installations due to its low-cost and decreased amount of damage on the environment.

Drill Power

No matter what size project there is, underground boring can tackle it. For jobs that require a depth of less than 50 feet, a commercial auger drill may suffice. Typical directional drilling projects can have installation lengths of up to 6,500 feet with new technologies capable of reaching 10,000 to 15,000 feet and up to 25,000 feet when used in favorable circumstances. With the current rate of development in the industry, even those numbers may soon be surpassed.

What Riches Hath Thou Wrought
One of the greatest applications of directional drilling is in the oil and natural gas industries. As of June 2015 there are a total of 222 natural gas rigs working in the United States. Over the course of 25 years, horizontal wells are predicted to produce a total of 110 billion cubic feet of natural gas. This is an industry that is fit to produce so long as reliable drilling equipment continues to provide dependable products and drilling methods.