Mousehole

The mousehole is the hole on a drilling rig floor where the next run of drill pipe is stored until it's needed. The hole is cut into the drilling rig floor and also bored into the ground. The section of the hole in the ground is usually lined with a metal casing which is referred to as the scabbard.The mousehole is used to so that the top of the drill pipe is level with the kelly and so that it is easy to access this strand of drill pipe when it's need required. This drill pipe is the next piece of pipe that is added to the drill string so that drilling can continue with minimal downtime.