Project Aims to Improve Geothermal Drilling Bit Penetration
Texas A&M Project Ups ROP Using Plasma Bursts
A team of researchers from the J. Mike Walker '66 Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University is developing a process to cut time and expense on geothermal jobs that involve hard rock such as granite. Shockwave and Plasma Accelerated Rock Cracking (SPARC) drilling technology, a U.S. Department of Energy funded project, aims to make geothermal energy a more viable alternative to fossil fuels.
“The drilling technology that we are working on has the potential to increase drilling rates (rate of penetration) and reduce the wear and tear of traditional drill bits,” says Dion Antao, assistant professor, part of the SPARC team. “This is achieved by locally prestressing or precracking the rock being drilled prior to the cutting action of the drill bit.”