A combined thermo-mechanical drilling technology for deep geothermal and hard rock reservoirs. (May 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Rossi, Edoardo; Jamali, Shahin; Wittig, Volker; Saar, Martin O.; Rudolf von Rohr, Philipp
• Is Part Of: Geothermics. Volume 85(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-05
• Subjects: Enhanced geothermal system -- Drilling -- Hard rock -- Field demonstration -- Thermal spallation -- Acoustic emissions; Hydrogeology -- Periodicals; Geothermal resources -- Periodicals; Énergie géothermique -- Périodiques; GEOTHERMAL ENGINEERING; GEOTHERMAL ENERGY; GEOTHERMAL EXPLORATION; Geothermal resources; Hydrogeology; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 621.44
• DOI: 10.1016/j.geothermics.2019.101771
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0375-6505

Abstract

Highlights: A novel technology to facilitate hard rock drilling is demonstrated in the field Flame assistance enhances rock mechanical removal by up to a factor of three A thermal assistance is implemented in a conventional drilling system Feasibility of thermal spallation proved through acoustic monitoring Ease of integration in conventional drilling to increase overall performance Abstract: Combined thermo-mechanical drilling is a novel technology to enhance drilling performance in deep hard rock formations. In this work, we demonstrate this technology in the field by implementing the concept on a full-scale drilling rig, and we show its feasibility under realistic process conditions. We provide evidence that the novel drilling method can increase the removal performance in hard rocks by up to a factor of three, compared to conventional drilling methods. From the findings of this work, we conclude that integration of thermal assistance to conventional rotary drilling constitutes an interesting approach to facilitate the drilling process, and therefore increase the access viability to deep georesources in hard rocks.