Projectile Drilling System for Hard Rock Borehole Extension
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional drilling methods are inefficient and energy-intensive, particularly when drilling through hard geologic materials like rock, leading to equipment wear and increased operational costs due to the need for significant energy, water, and materials to maintain drill bit performance and remove debris.
Innovation Solution
The use of a ram accelerator augmented drilling system, where projectiles are accelerated into geologic material to extend boreholes, with propellant materials or electromagnetic forces, and debris is managed using crushing devices and conveying systems to reduce size and facilitate removal, potentially reducing the need for traditional drill bits in hard rock drilling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional drill bits are used to penetrate hard geologic materials, then boreholes can be formed, but drilling speed decreases and energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical drilling system (rotating drill bits) with a projectile-based system that uses kinetic energy from accelerated projectiles to fracture rock. This substitution eliminates the need for continuous mechanical rotation and cutting, instead using impact forces to break rock ahead of the borehole, thereby increasing drilling speed while reducing energy consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental parameters of the drilling process by transitioning from low-velocity continuous cutting to high-velocity impact fracturing. Projectiles are accelerated to high speeds and directed at the rock face, changing the mechanism from gradual material removal to rapid fracture, which significantly improves productivity and reduces energy requirements.
2Productivity
If traditional drill bits are used for drilling through rock, then boreholes are created, but equipment wear increases requiring frequent replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs projectiles that are relatively inexpensive and can be rapidly replaced or replenished. Instead of wearing out expensive drill bits, the system uses consumable projectiles that impact the rock and can be quickly replaced from surface supply, maintaining high drilling efficiency without the reliability issues of worn cutting tools.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the cutting function from the drill bit itself and transfers it to separate projectiles. The drill bit or launcher remains intact while the projectiles carry the fracturing function, allowing the projectiles to be replaced without affecting the durability of the main drilling equipment.
3Duration of action of moving object
If significant amounts of water and materials are used to cool and maintain drill bits, then drilling operations can continue, but operational costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The projectile-based system is largely self-cooling and self-maintaining. The projectiles do not require external cooling systems, and the launch mechanism can operate without continuous supply of lubricants or coolants. This eliminates the need for large quantities of water and materials, reducing operational costs while maintaining continuous drilling capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system converts the previously harmful heat generation from friction into a beneficial feature by eliminating continuous contact between drill bit and rock. The impact-based drilling generates less sustained heat, reducing or eliminating the need for water cooling, thereby reducing material consumption and operational costs.
4Productivity
If traditional drilling methods are used, then boreholes are formed, but the process requires significant energy, water, and materials
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical drilling system that requires continuous supply of energy, water, and materials with a projectile-based system. The kinetic energy is delivered in discrete impacts, eliminating the need for continuous energy input and material supply, thereby increasing drilling rate while reducing overall consumption of resources.
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
This approach enhances drilling efficiency and reduces equipment wear by using projectile impacts to extend boreholes through hard materials, minimizing the need for energy and water, and allowing for more effective debris removal, thereby improving operational efficiency and reducing costs.
Implementation Method 1
a ram accelerator augmented drilling system, where projectiles are accelerated into geologic material to extend boreholes
Implementation Method 2
projectiles are accelerated into geologic material to extend boreholes, with propellant materials or electromagnetic forces
Implementation Method 3
using projectile impacts to extend boreholes through hard materials
Implementation Method 4
debris is managed using crushing devices and conveying systems to reduce size and facilitate removal
Implementation Method 5
debris is managed using crushing devices and conveying systems to reduce size
Data Source
AI summary
Systems for drilling or tunneling include an assembly for accelerating a projectile through a first conduit into a region of geologic material, which generates debris. The debris may be reduced in size by moving the debris to a crushing device located in a second conduit using a conveying device, such as an auger. The reduced-size debris is then moved toward the surface using fluid movement. A third conduit may be used to provide and remove material from the bottom of the first conduit to control pressure at the end of the conduit to prevent ingress of material into the first conduit. Water jets or other types of devices may be used to cut or deform a perimeter of a region of geologic material before the projectile is accelerated to control the shape of the borehole and the manner in which debris is broken from the geologic material.