Exploratory Shaft-Making Apparatus Using Sequential Shaped Charges
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Solution Overview
Problem
Drilling test holes for oil, water, or minerals on small land parcels is expensive and labor-intensive, especially in areas with uneven terrain, making it difficult for families to discover potential resources without professional assistance.
Innovation Solution
An exploratory shaft-making apparatus that uses a metallic cylindrical casing with stacked shaped charges to create a vertical hole by sequential detonation, allowing a payload with sensors to be incrementally lowered into the ground, enabling cost-effective testing for resources without the need for heavy drilling equipment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If heavy drilling equipment is transported and set up at a site to drill a test hole, then the ability to discover oil reserves is improved, but the cost and difficulty of operation increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The drilling system is divided into separate functional modules: a delivery vehicle, a drill string, and a shaped charge assembly. Each component can be independently transported and assembled at the site, reducing the need for heavy equipment and making the operation more feasible for small landowners.
Solution Approach 2:
A delivery vehicle serves as an intermediary to transport the drill string and shaped charge assembly to the drilling site. This intermediary mechanism enables the delivery of drilling components without requiring permanent heavy drilling equipment to be set up at each location.
2Reliability
If professional drilling companies set up equipment to drill test wells, then the technical capability to explore for oil is improved, but the cost increases making it unaffordable for small landowners
Solution Approach 1:
The system is designed to be self-contained and operable by small landowners without requiring professional drilling companies. The drill string and shaped charge assembly can be manually handled and assembled, enabling small landowners to conduct their own oil exploration on their property.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses inexpensive, disposable components such as shaped charges and drill strings that can be easily replaced. This eliminates the need for expensive, permanent drilling equipment and makes the technology accessible to small landowners with limited budgets.
3Productivity
If shaped charges are sequentially detonated to create void spaces, then the hole formation efficiency is improved, but the complexity of the device increases
Solution Approach 1:
The shaped charges are pre-positioned and pre-timed within the drill string assembly before delivery to the site. The sequential detonation sequence is predetermined, allowing the hole formation process to proceed efficiently without requiring complex real-time control systems at the drilling location.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables inexpensive and efficient testing for oil, water, or minerals, potentially lifting small landowners out of poverty and boosting the economy by facilitating new discoveries across the country.
Implementation Method 1
The shaped charges are adapted to sequentially detonate starting with the bottom-most shaped charge. The detonation of each shaped charge is configured to create a void space in the geological formation below the casing.
Implementation Method 2
The void space permits gravity to move the remaining shaped charges and the payload body above to slide downward so that the next shaped charge to detonate is positioned below the bottom end of the metallic cylindrical casing.
Implementation Method 3
A shock absorbing material may be included in the head section to cushion the bottom most shaped charge therewithin.
Data Source
AI summary
An exploratory shaft-making apparatus creates a vertical hole down into a geological formation while sending a payload into the vertical hole. The apparatus includes a metallic cylindrical casing; a hollow, conical head section; a payload body; and shaped charges of high explosive below the payload body. The shaped charges are adapted to sequentially detonate starting with the bottom-most shaped charge. The detonation of each shaped charge is configured to create a void space in the geological formation below the casing. The void space permits gravity to move the remaining shaped charges and the payload body atop them to slide downward so that the next shaped charge to detonate is positioned below the bottom end of the metallic cylindrical casing. A shock absorbing material may be included in the head section. The payload body optionally has a removable cap. A lift fitting may be attached to the payload body.