Fluid Hammer Testing
U.S. Department of Energy
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently concluded its benchmarking operations of "Advanced Mud Hammer Drilling Systems" (Ref. No. DE-FC26-00NT40918). The SDS Fluid Hammer was one of the participants invited to attend the benchmarking sessions at the Terra Tek facility in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The Department of Energy is focussed on making the strategic investments needed to enhance U.S. leadership in the development of "smart wells". This will involve identifying advance technologies that drill faster, deeper, cheaper and cleaner. The Department of Energy, concerned at the declining private investment in the longer-term solutions, has sponsored the benchmarking operations at Terra Tek to evaluate the progress of achieving the above goals. Other sponsors include BP Amoco and ExxonMobil.
The current oil market dynamics for the U.S.A. are such that it imports half of its oil needs. This situation is likely to decline as most of the U.S. oil fields are among some of the oldest fields still producing. In order to arrest this situation, further oil discoveries will need to be made in hard rock and deeper locations.
The benchmarking operations were conducted in rock formations such as Carthage Marble and hard Crab Orchard Sandstone. The hammer functioned well at 'borehole' pressures up to 2,800 psi with weighted water based mud (15 ppg). Further data will be available upon release from analysis.
The company anticipates that the Fluid Hammer will be available, in September 2001, for benchmarking it's "Seismic Whilst Drilling" characteristics. It is expected that these characteristics will be significant as revealed in earlier testing.
Optimisation operations will also commence at the Terra Tek facility in September 2001 to examine any modifications or improvements that may be required. These operations will allow SDS to further the commercialisation of it's successful Fluid Hammer.
Please click on links below to view graphs of test results.
Crab Orchard Sandstone - Hemi-concave standard button 8.5inch bit
Crab Orchard Sandstone - Hemi-concave ballistic button 8.5inch bit