Deep drilling technology to exploit cheap geothermal electricity

Slovakia Anchorbit and Plasmabit technologies promise faster and cheaper drilling into hot rock layers located 10 km underground.

GA Drilling has introduced two new technologies that can produce geothermal electricity anywhere in the world . The heat beneath the Earth's surface is a clean, reliable source of energy, available 24/7 everywhere, allowing it to generate steam to power turbines or pipe it directly to central heating systems. The heat and pressure of ultra-deep drilling often destroys the highest quality drill bits. Changing drill bits is time-consuming and expensive. So GA Drilling has developed two key technologies to make geothermal energy cheaper, faster and easier to access anywhere, Yahoo News reported on June 9.

First, the Anchorbit system places two anchor rings behind the drill bit, each equipped with a piston that can extend and grip the wellbore. As the upper anchor ring does so, the lower ring moves closer to the drill bit, which then pushes the piston out to allow the upper ring to slide down.

These anchor rings stabilize the drill bit, preventing vibrations that occur when operating rotary drilling equipment at depths of several kilometers. They also add weight to the bit. GA says the Anchorbit system not only doubles the speed at which it can drill through hard rock, but also doubles the life of the bit, reducing replacement costs.

Anchorbit helps speed up drilling to depths greater than 6 km, but GA's goal for geothermal exploitation is to reach depths greater than 10 km underground. To reach that depth, the company developed a second key technology called Plasmabit.

The Plasmabit system can be connected to a standard drilling rig. It is a plasma pulse drilling system that uses a rotating electric torch to blast rock with ionized gas at 6,000 degrees Celsius, causing the rock to fracture and weaken, then high-pressure water is used to break it up and bring the material to the surface through a pipeline.

Because the drill bit does not make direct contact, the system does not need to be replaced periodically. According to GA, drilling through hard granite at depths of 10 km is relatively easy. Plasmabit can go deeper and is cheaper than conventional drilling rigs.

If GA's deep drilling achievements can be applied anywhere, the technology will contribute greatly to global electricity generation and the race to become carbon neutral by 2050.

An Khang (According to New Atlas )

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