Drilling like lightning

The BINE Projektinfo brochure “Electric impulses fragment hard rock” (13/2015) © BINE Informationsdienst

New process uses high voltage for deep geothermal drilling

When drilling with the electric impulse process (EIP), two electrodes are positioned below ground on the rock layer. Through them, 400-kV impulses are shot into the rock. In the impulse’s breakdown channel, the pressure and temperature within the rock increase and the rock breaks up.

The resulting drill cuttings are removed by a non-conductive drilling fluid. The EIP drill bit has been successfully tested on a test stand under wellbore-like conditions. The aim of the ongoing follow-up project is to develop a complete drilling system and to test it in a real borehole.

Scientists at Dresden University of Technology are developing the EIP drilling system in collaboration with industrial partners. Drilling work can account for up to 90% of the investment costs in geothermal projects. Each technical improvement and cost reduction in the drilling process therefore brings new geological heat reservoirs within economic reach.

You found all informations about the BINE Projektinfo brochure “Electric impulses fragment hard rock” (13/2015) here:

http://www.bine.info/en/press/press-releases/press/pressemitteilung/bohren-wie-d…

Uwe Milles/Birgit Schneider
presse(at)bine.info

About BINE Information Service

Energy research for practical applications

The BINE Information Service reports on energy research topics, such as new materials, systems and components, as well as innovative concepts and methods. The knowledge gained is incorporated into the implementation of new technologies in practice, because first-rate information provides a basis for pioneering decisions, whether in the planning of energy-optimised buildings, increasing the efficiency of industrial processes, or integrating renewable energy sources into existing systems.

About FIZ Karlsruhe

FIZ Karlsruhe – Leibniz Institute for Information Infrastructure is a not-for-profit organization with the public mission to make sci-tech information from all over the world publicly available and to provide related services in order to support the national and international transfer of knowledge and the promotion of innovation.
Our business areas:
• STN International – the world’s leading online service for research and patent information in science and technology
• KnowEsis – innovative eScience solutions to support the process of research in all its stages, and throughout all scientific disciplines
• Databases and Information Services – Databases and science portals in mathematics, computer science, crystallography, chemistry, and energy technology
FIZ Karlsruhe is a member of the Leibniz Association (WGL) which consists of 87 German research and infrastructure institutions.

http://www.bine.info/en – BINE Informationsdienst

Media Contact

Rüdiger Mack idw - Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

All latest news from the category: Architecture and Construction

Back to home

Comments (0)

Write a comment

Newest articles

New organoid with all key pancreas cells

Researchers from the Organoid group (previously Clevers group) at the Hubrecht Institute have developed a new organoid that mimics the human fetal pancreas, offering a clearer view of its early development….

Unlocking the potential of nickel

New study reveals how to use single atoms to turn CO2 into valuable chemical resources. Nickel and nitrogen co-doped carbon (Ni-N-C) catalysts have shown exceptional performance in converting CO2 into…

‘Spooky action’ at a very short distance

Scientists map out quantum entanglement in protons. Particles streaming from collisions offer insight into dynamic interactions and collective behavior of quarks and gluons. Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s…