ABSTRACT
Selecting an air compressor is just as difficult as selecting the mud pump. A drilling rig's depth rating is linked directly to the capacity of the mud or air circuit. Water injection is required when drilling with an air compressor in a dry and hard formation. Unusual noises coming from different components of the drill rig always indicate an unusual condition, such as stuck valves in the fluid end of the mud pump. Sizing componentry can be confusing in an international marketplace where drill rig manufacturers offer a large variety of sizes of masts, drawworks, drill pipes, mud pumps and compressors that can be installed on the same basic model drill rig. Once the minimum size air compressor is known, the actual uphole velocity can be calculated based on the existing air compressor of a given size.
