1. vb. [Drilling]
To drill with a mud motor rotating the bit downhole without rotating the drillstring from the surface. This operation is conducted when the bottomhole assembly has been fitted with a bent sub or a bent housing mud motor, or both, for directional drilling. Sliding is the predominant method to build and control or correct hole angle in modern directional drilling operations. Directional drilling is conceptually simple: Point the bit in the desired direction. This pointing is accomplished through the bent sub, which has a small angle offset from the axis of the drillstring, and a measurement device to determine the direction of offset. Without turning the drillstring, the bit is rotated with a mud motor, and drills in the direction it points. With steerable motors, when the desired wellbore direction is attained, the entire drillstring is rotated and drills straight rather than at an angle. By controlling the amount of hole drilled in the sliding versus the rotating mode, the wellbore trajectory can be controlled precisely.
See related terms: catwalk, directional drilling, mud motor, vee-door
3. n. [Drilling]
The inclined plane below the vee-door that connects the rig floor to the catwalk. This part of the rig is simply a reinforced steel plate, and is used as a guide when dragging equipment or pipes up into the derrick or to the rig floor. Equipment rests against the slide as it is pulled up to the drill floor. The lower end of pipe is guided by the slide as it is pulled into the derrick.
