Drilling for geothermal – using rocket science for cheaper and faster drilling
U.S. technology company HyperSciences is working on a rocket approach to drilling for deep geothermal resources, using a technology called HyperDrill that would shoot rockets to break and pulverise hard rock.
HyperSciences a company using hypervelocity technologies wants to provide better solutions for tunnelling, energy and transportation. … and this includes drilling for geothermal energy.
The “HyperDrill” system developed, described by the company as the “world’s fastes simplest, and cheapest projectile launch system, which can robotically accelerate objects at velocity greater than Mach 5 speeds”, wants to disrupt drilling, be it for tunnelling or drilling for energy.
With those projectiles “shot”, hard rock will be “broken and pulverized faster, deeper and through a wider range of conditions”.
The application for oil and gas, but also deep geothermal application would allow reaching deep geothermal deposits faster and cheaper.
The company has gained NASA as an investor, as the technology is also interesting for accelerate things towards the sky.
How far the technology can be put at use for geothermal energy will have to be seen, but it is definitely an interesting concept and if it works, it could revolutionise how we drill deep geothermal wells.
Source: Hyper Science via SeedInvest, Teslerati
Disclaimer: This is not an investment advise or suggestion to buy, but rather a description of an interesting technology. How realistic it is, is left to the specialists in the drilling sector.