Air drilling (Metodă de foraj cu aer sub presiune)

A drilling technique whereby gases (typically compressed air) are used to cool the drill bit and lift cuttings out of the borehole, instead of the more conventional use of liquids. The advantages of air drilling are that it is usually much faster than drilling with liquids and it may eliminate lost circulation problems. The disadvantages are the inability to control the influx of formation fluids into the borehole and the destabilization of the borehole wall in the absence of the borehole pressure typically provided by liquids.