DEPLOI the HEAT Project to develop and trial Directional Steel Shot Drilling technology
DEPLOI the HEAT project (source: screenshot, Project website: https://deploitheheat.eu/)
Carlo Cariaga
10 Aug 2023
The DEPLOI the HEAT Project aims to pilot the commercial readiness of Directional Steel Shot Drilling technology to enhance reservoir contact for geothermal systems.
The DEPLOI the HEAT project aims to demonstrate the capability of Directional Steel Shot Drilling (DSSD) technology, a novel drilling technology developed by Canopus Drilling Solutions. The project has been funded by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) and the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE), as well as by the European Commission and several industry partners.
The full project name is “Demonstrate Production enhancement with Low-cost side-track drilling when accessing geothermal heat in the subsurface for district heating.” It is a follow up of the original DEPLOI project, led by the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), that involved the prototype demonstration of DSSD technology in a simulated downhole environment at the drill test facilities of TNO.
The technology
DSSD technology is based on fast directional drilling using steel shot jet erosion. It presents several advantages:
- Does not need large mechanical forces at the bit
- Can drill long distances (> 500 meters)
- Can drill short high-angle turns into any direction
- Has special bit designs producing smooth bore holes in any rock type at any depth
- Can drill many multilaterals within a thin reservoir
- Provides a high level of downhole autonomous directional control
- Does not sacrifice rate of penetration for directional control, with ROP exceeding conventional drill rates
DSSD technology is expected to be able to create multiple long drainage holes in any desired direction. This enhances reservoir contact for open-loop geothermal systems, thereby mitigating reservoir heterogeneity and increasing well productivity. The technology is seen as a cost-effective method for geothermal district heating systems producing from medium-deep to deep reservoirs.
Field trials
Two field trials have been planned for the project to pilot the commercial readiness of the DSSD technology, as well as to demonstrate the heat production increase from short-radius, long horizontals that are unique to DSSD. Both trials are supported by field equipment testing at the Rijswijk Center of Sustainable Geo-energy of TNO, drilling system modelling and real time monitoring by the center of excellence on well construction at the University of Calgary, and the extensive operational expertise on directional drilling for Geothermal of Well Guidance.
The first field trial of the DEPLOI the HEAT project at the VersuchsStollen Hagerbach in Switzerland has just been completed. This involved multilateral drilling in a tight limestone formation. The second trial will be done in Ede in the Netherlands and will drill through a typical Dutch hot water sandstone reservoir.
The trials are designed to test the operational performance and economic impact of DSSD technology when drilling in medium-depth fractured carbonates, which is the typical reservoir for geothermal development in Switzerland.
More details on the DEPLOI the HEAT project will be reported when they become available.
Source: DEPLOI the HEAT and Paromita Deb, PhD via LinkedIn
