Tue, 11 April, 2023
Live field testing is now underway at the Fraunhofer IEG, Bochum geothermal site as part of the Geo-Drill project.
TWI has been working as part of a consortium to reduce the cost of geothermal drilling operations so that geothermal can realise its full potential as a game-changing renewable energy resource.
Currently, 53% of the total cost of geothermal operations is a result of drilling. This creates high investment costs and a long development cycle but, Geo-Drill’s creation of ‘holistic’ drilling technologies has the potential to reduce these through improves rates of penetration (ROP) and the increased resilience of parts to geothermal environments.
The field tests are assessing the technologies developed during the project, including a bi-stable fluidic amplifier-driven mud hammer complete with graphene-based materials and coatings to improve the rate of penetration (ROP). The hammer’s materials also offer an improved tool life, while the drill monitoring system and 3D–printed sensors and cabling will help reduce tripping.
You can find out more about the Geo-Drill project on the dedicated website and see a short video from the field test site, below:
The Geo-Drill project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 815319.