So You Want to be a Mud Engineer: An Introduction to Drilling Fluids Technology
Andy Philips graduated from The University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. He began working in the drilling industry as a pipe racker in California in the late 1970’s. After working his way up to derrick hand he went to work for GEO Drilling Fluids, Inc., successfully graduating from Ray Taylor’s Mud School in Elk City, Oklahoma. As a mud engineer Andy specialized in low solids  non-dispersed (LSND) mud which was just being introduced to the west coast. He studied with the company chemist in his time off, developing a broad  understanding of drilling fluids. Andy’s mud engineering experience includes OBM, Lime Mud, Salt Water completion fluids and various dispersed muds as well as broad experience with LSND. He spent time as the mud engineer on the NPR-1 #934-29R drilled in Elk Hills to 24,442 feet, the deepest well ever drilled in California. When drilling mud dewatering was introduced to California Andy was on the cutting edge of development and implementation. This evolved into a two year stint with Kem-Tron of Houston. With this company he made 13 trips to Russia. His duties included setting up and manning an information booth at trade shows in Moscow, New Delhi and Kuala Lumpur. He worked with Russians on their domestic drilling rigs, training them in the processes of dewatering and mud testing. He developed and received certification for an ISO-9001 Quality Assurance program for the manufacture of solids control equipment. On returning to Bakersfield Andy became the Technical Services Manager for GEO Drilling Fluids, Inc. taking responsibility for quality assurance testing, new product development and trouble-shooting field muds. He teaches an in-house mud school for which he developed the curriculum. He also developed a computerized drilling fluid reporting system with the help of his two sons. This program is currently in use throughout the company.