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What to do if your drilling rig gets stuck? Quick escape method

Drilling rig jamming is the most common unexpected problem during drilling operations—soft soil burial, hard rock jamming, and backfill blockage not only cause work stoppages, but forcibly handling the situation can also lead to drill rod breakage, equipment damage, and doubled losses. The core principle is "first assess the scenario, then implement precise measures, and strictly prohibit blindly applying pressure and reversing the drill." The following three scenarios offer quick solutions that can be implemented on-site.

I. Drill Pit Buried in Soft Soil: Dilute + Loosen to Prevent Soil Consolidation

1. Core Cause:

Soft soil or silt adheres to the drill rod, or prolonged drilling stoppage leads to soil consolidation, forming a "mud bag" that buries the drill bit.

2. Quick Rescue Steps:

Immediately Stop the Machine: Turn off the drilling pressure output to prevent further pressurization that could cause the drill rod to become buried deeper.

Inject Diluent: Inject diluted mud (concentration 1.0-1.1 g/cm³) or clean water under high pressure into the drill rod's inner bore to break up the "mud bag" structure.

Low-Speed Reverse Rotation: Start the drilling rig and reverse it at a low speed (≤30 r/min), pausing after each 3-5 seconds of reversal, repeating 3-5 times to gradually loosen the drill rod.

Slow Pulling: Slowly lift the drill rod (speed ≤0.3 m/min). If resistance persists, continue injecting mud; do not pull forcefully.

3. ⚠️ Key Points for Avoiding Pitfalls:

High-speed reverse rotation is prohibited, as it can easily cause the drill rod to twist.

Do not blindly increase the pulling force, as this may break the drill pipe.**

II. Hard Rock Stuck Drill Bits: Decompression + Cooling, Gradual Loosening

1. Core Cause:

Hard rock fissures are causing the drill teeth to become stuck, or excessive drilling pressure is causing the drill bit to break or rock cuttings to clog the drill string.

2. Quick Releasing Steps:

Relieve Pressure:** Immediately reduce the drilling pressure to 0 and shut off the feed system.

Cooling and Flushing:** Increase the coolant flow rate (40-60 L/min) or inject high-pressure air (1.5-2.0 MPa) to flush away rock cuttings and cool the drill bit.

Incremental Reverse Rotation:** Start the drill rig's "incremental reverse rotation" (1-2 seconds each time, 5-second intervals) to use vibration to loosen the stuck points.

Attempt Grinding:** If ineffective, apply a slight drilling pressure of 5-8 kN, combined with low-speed forward rotation (20-40 r/min), to attempt to "grind" the stuck rock, then gradually lift the drill bit.

3. ⚠️ Key Points for Avoiding Pitfalls:

Forced high-pressure reverse rotation is strictly prohibited, as it can easily break drill bits and twist drill rods.

Do not use external force to impact the drill rod, as this may cause the borehole to deviate.

III. Drill Bit Blockage Due to Backfill: Obstacle Clearing + Hole Wall Protection, Segmented Removal

1. Core Cause:

Bricks, gravel, reinforcing bars, and other debris in the backfill soil jam the drill bit, or loose and collapsed borehole walls block the borehole.

2. Quick Removal Steps:

Identify the Obstacle: After stopping the machine, inject high-pressure air to disperse loose materials and preliminarily determine the type of obstruction.

Handling Small Debris: If it is small gravel, reverse the drill bit at low speed (30-50 r/min) with slight lifting, and use the drill bit's slag discharge chute to remove it.

Handling Large Obstacles: If it is large bricks, stones, or reinforcing bars, first lower a casing to protect the borehole wall, then use a retrieval tool to remove the obstruction.

Adjust the process: After freeing the drill bit, replace it with a wide-pitch, high-efficiency slag-removing drill bit and continue operation using a "segmented drilling + frequent slag removal" mode.

3. ⚠️ Key points for avoiding pits:

Forced forward drilling is prohibited, as it can easily cause debris to become more firmly stuck.

Obstacles must be cleared first; do not blindly drill down to prevent secondary drill jamming.

Conclusion:

The core of freeing a stuck drilling rig lies in "first assessing, then loosening, and finally pulling." The key is: for soft soil, focus on "diluting"; for hard rock, focus on "cooling and clearing debris"; and for backfill, focus on "clearing obstacles." During operation, remain calm and avoid using force, which could escalate the problem. It is recommended to keep emergency tools such as mud pumps, retrieval tools, and casing on site, and operate according to procedures to quickly free the rig while protecting the equipment to the greatest extent possible.

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