Softening of Rocks: Enabling Deeper Drilling with Lower Power
1. Softening of Rocks:
Enabling Deeper Drilling
with Lower Power Consumption
Using results from an earlier CIF proposal
to make rock drilling easier and more energy-efficient.
Stage I: determine the competing and reinforcing factors
that influence the drilling resistance
Stage II: use this knowledge to manipulate the drilling
process
Stage III: show these effects in a demonstrator
Friedemann Freund
NASA Ames / SETI / SJSU
Claes Hedberg
SETI / Blekinge Inst. Tech.
friedemann.t.freund@nasa.gov; claes.hedberg@bth.se
2. Softening of Rocks:
Enabling Deeper Drilling
with Lower Power Consumption
This proposal is based on results
obtained in the earlier CIF proposal
* Mechanical influences such as
ultrasound (US) changes the
elastic modulus of rocks
* Changes are time-dependent,
but there is also recovery
* Volume expansion and contraction,
which depend on the time history of
the influencing factors
To this we add the knowledge that
• Higher temperatures lead to volume expansion
• Frictional forces from the bore hole increase with depth.
Ronneby
3. Softening of Rocks:
Enabling Deeper Drilling
with Lower Power Consumption
Goals
1. Determine the mechanism of rock
softening and its effect on the drilling
resistance.
2.Use results from 1 to identify the actions
Where, When, and How to decrease the
relative contributions from these effects.
3.Implement the results from 1 and 2
in a demonstrator.
Ronneby
4. Softening of Rocks:
Enabling Deeper Drilling
with Lower Power Consumption
BENEFITS
A. lower energy expenditure on drilling
missions to solar system solid bodies
B.Drilling faster and deeper
C.Less wear on drill bits
EXTERNAL CUSTOMERS
Mining Industry
Construction Industry
Oil & Gas Industry
TECHNOLOGY PARTNERS
READINESS LEVEL
- Blekinge Institute of Technology
TRL 2 and rising - NASA Ames Research Center