Ram Accelerator Projectile Drilling System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional drilling and excavation methods are slow, costly, and environmentally impactful due to reliance on mechanical bits that wear out quickly and require significant water resources, especially when dealing with hard materials like rock.
Innovation Solution
A ram accelerator system that ejects projectiles at high velocities to penetrate geological materials, using a launch tube with combustible gases to accelerate projectiles to hypervelocity or non-hypervelocity, forming holes through fluid-fluid or solid-solid interactions, and utilizing guide tubes and reamers to shape and maintain the drilling path.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional mechanical drilling methods are used, then drilling can be performed with simple equipment, but drilling speed is slow and time consumption is high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical drilling systems with a projectile-based system that uses controlled explosions and kinetic impact to penetrate rock formations. Instead of using rotating drill bits that mechanically wear away material, the system fires projectiles at hypervelocity into the rock, creating holes through impact and shock wave mechanisms. This substitution of mechanical drilling with projectile impact dramatically increases drilling speed and reduces time consumption.
2Strength
If mechanical drill bits are used to penetrate hard materials, then drilling can be performed, but drill bits wear out quickly requiring frequent replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs disposable projectiles made from relatively inexpensive materials such as steel, tungsten, or composite structures that are designed to be consumed during the drilling process. These projectiles are fired at hypervelocity and intentionally allowed to fragment or erode upon impact with the rock formation. The low cost of individual projectiles compared to expensive diamond-tipped drill bits allows for continuous operation without tool replacement downtime, thereby improving reliability.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional drilling methods are used, then drilling operations can be performed, but significant water resources are required for cooling and dust suppression
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the water-dependent functions (cooling and dust suppression) from the drilling process by using projectile impact mechanics that generate minimal dust and heat compared to mechanical drilling. The hypervelocity impact creates a plasma channel and shock wave that efficiently removes rock material with minimal friction heating, eliminating the need for large volumes of water for cooling. Dust suppression is reduced because the impact-driven drilling creates less airborne particulate matter compared to rotating drill bits that grind rock into fine dust.
4Productivity
If explosives are used for excavation, then material can be broken apart quickly, but additional safety and regulatory burdens increase operational cost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the energy delivery parameters from low-velocity chemical explosion to hypervelocity kinetic impact. By accelerating projectiles to extremely high velocities (Mach 10 or greater), the system delivers energy in a highly concentrated, controlled manner that achieves rapid rock fragmentation similar to explosives but without the uncontrolled blast wave and associated safety hazards. This parameter change allows for faster excavation speeds while reducing device complexity and regulatory burdens related to explosive storage, handling, and detonation safety.
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 method significantly reduces drilling time and costs, minimizes environmental impact by reducing water consumption, and enables deeper resource extraction with enhanced drilling speed and efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
A ram accelerator system that ejects projectiles at high velocities to penetrate geological materials, using a launch tube with combustible gases to accelerate projectiles to hypervelocity or non-hypervelocity
Implementation Method 2
forming holes through fluid-fluid or solid-solid interactions
Data Source
AI summary
A hole in geologic material, such as a wellbore, may be extended by impacting the working face of the hole with high velocity projectiles. A tube may be placed within the hole, and the lower end of the tube may be sealed to prevent ingress of material from the hole into the tube. A projectile may be accelerated through the tube, such as by igniting a combustible gas mixture to impart a force to the projectile. The impact of the projectile may extend the hole. In some cases, accelerated projectiles may be used in conjunction with a drill bit to drill a wellbore or other type of hole.