drilling mud

American  

noun

1. a water-based or oil-based suspension of clays pumped into an oil well during drilling in order to seal off porous rock layers, equalize the pressure, cool the bit, and flush out the cuttings.

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drilling mud British  

noun

1. a mixture of clays, water, and chemicals pumped down the drill string while an oil well is being drilled to lubricate the mechanism, carry away rock cuttings, and maintain pressure so that oil or gas does not escape

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

drilling mud

Even if the drilling mud was primarily clay, Matteson said, the silt can still harm sensitive aquatic organisms.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 14, 2021

Ten years ago: Engineers began pumping heavy drilling mud into the blown-out Gulf of Mexico oil well in an attempt to permanently plug the leak.

From Washington Times ● Aug. 3, 2020

No one was injured, but residents and pedestrians captured video of oil, gas, drilling mud and other debris blasted into the sky.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 5, 2020

Soon after, at a community meeting, Friel Otten learned that, if drilling mud leaked into the aquifer, calcium levels in her tap water could spike.

From The New Yorker ● Oct. 26, 2018

The BP engineers were concerned most with “lost returns” — the fear that drilling mud and cement that would push into porous rock rather than be circulated back up the rig.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 29, 2016