Breaking a world record: CNX Gas drills over 15,000 feet to take top honors
  by: OilOnline
  Thursday, May 01, 2008

CNX Gas Corporation broke a prior world drilling record and set a new one this week when a contractor rig drilled 15,172 cumulative feet with a single drill bit.  Compiled by E&P magazine, the records are awarded in categories including Single Run Footage, Cumulative Footage and Rate of Penetration.

CNX Gas attributes its success to Smith Bits, the manufacturer of its drill bits, their drilling contractor, Crown Drilling, and to their directional driller, Nevis Energy Services. "This is a testimony to the hard work and quality of effort by our team here at our Mountaineer operation. The more wells we drill, the more proficient and cost effective our drilling effort becomes. We aim to keep besting the record we just set," Sam McLaughlin, General Manager-Northern Appalachian Operations for CNX Gas, stated Wednesday.

When asked to describe the drilling process associated with this horizontal coalbed methane well, Joshua Hinton, Assistant Drilling Manager for CNX Gas, related, "The bit went into the ground for the first time on February 11th, 2007 and came out on February 24th. The bit went back into the ground for the second time on March 11th, 2007 and came out on March 18th for a total of 238.9 on-bottom drilling hours."

The record-breaking bit is now on display at the headquarters of CNX Gas in Pittsburgh, Pennyslvania.

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