Results of the EU H2020 project ThermoDrill – Contribution of rock mechanics to the utilization of geothermal energy

The urgent need to speed up the process of reducing CO2 emissions, as well as to stimulate the production and use of renewable energy demands sophisticated technologies to reach these goals. By developing an advanced drilling technology, the EU H2020 project ThermoDrill set itself the target to make the utilization of geothermal energy more economical. The new drilling technology is based on the combination of rotary drilling and high-pressure fluid jetting. Rock mechanics largely contributes to the achievement of the common purpose of the project. Especially the investigation of the rock destruction process due to the combined hydraulic and mechanical impact plays a major role. The results are based on extensive experimental research concerning rock fracture under varying conditions. Additionally, various methods of crack detection are applied to identify the underlying mechanisms of the drilling technology. As a result, the specifications of the developed prototypes are to a considerable amount based on the rock mechanical findings. The huge potential of the advanced drilling technology is supported by the results of laboratory tests and field tests. © 2022, Ernst und Sohn. All rights reserved.