Project description DEENESFRITPL Making geothermal energy a more viable alternative As Europe seeks to meet environmental goals, securing alternative energy sources is of vital importance. In an effort to beat climate change, one possible alternative is geothermal energy. However, it presents its own challenges in the form of low heat recovery efficiency, long drilling times and significant initial investment costs. The EU-funded ORCHYD project will meet these challenges by developing groundbreaking drilling technology that could significantly improve drilling speed and reduce cost while providing the means necessary to improve energy recovery. The goal is to make geothermal energy more economically viable, securing another valuable energy source in Europe's fight against climate change. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective Deep geothermal reservoirs are being targeted for renewable energy supply worldwide. However, while international research efforts are stepping up to the challenge of overcoming the low efficiency of heat recovery from depth to the surface, the showstopper remains the slow drilling speed provided by the conventional rotary system in deep hard rocks (> 4 km). Deep drilling requires long drilling times, often resulting in unacceptably high initial investment.ORCHYD’s new drilling technology will increase hard rock drilling rates from the current range of 1-2 m/h up to 4-10 m/h. The novelty is to combine two, previously separate, mature technologies: High Pressure Water Jetting (HPWJ) and Percussive Drilling, in a system customised for hard rock geothermal reservoirs to depths of 6 km.Planned experiments and solid-fluid coupled models designed to reveal the critical fragmentation mechanisms under in-situ stress conditions will be used to design, build and validate, with pilot drilling tests, the new system for field operations.The hybrid development requires optimisation of: i) release of high stress concentrations on the hole bottom while drilling, ii) slotting circumferential relieving grooves on the hole bottom using HPWJ (up to 200 MPa), iii) in-hole production of the HPWJ using a down-hole pressure intensifier activated by the drilling vibrations, hence damping out harmful drilling system vibrations and iv) an advanced down-hole percussive rotating mud hammer for drilling to derive the maximum benefit from the modified bottom-hole stress regime.ORCHYD will decrease the drilling cost by 65% in hard rock sections. This will result in 30% reduction of the total cost of deep geothermal well construction. In addition, the new coupled Intensifier-HPWJ-Hammer system has the potential to drill and steer multi-lateral wells which greatly increase thermal connectivity, are cheaper, use far less water and are more controllable than conventional fracking stimulations. Fields of science engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsrenewable energygeothermal energy Programme(s) H2020-EU.3.3. - SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Secure, clean and efficient energy Main Programme H2020-EU.3.3.2. - Low-cost, low-carbon energy supply Topic(s) LC-SC3-RES-18-2020 - Advanced drilling and well completion techniques for cost reduction in geothermal energy Call for proposal H2020-LC-SC3-2018-2019-2020 See other projects for this call Sub call H2020-LC-SC3-2020-RES-RIA Funding Scheme RIA-LS - Research and Innovation action Lump Sum Coordinator ASSOCIATION POUR LA RECHERCHE ET LE DEVELOPPEMENT DES METHODES ET PROCESSUS INDUSTRIELS Net EU contribution € 965 221,25 Address Boulevard saint michel 60 75272 Paris France See on map Region Ile-de-France Ile-de-France Paris Activity type Research Organisations Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00 Participants (6) Sort alphabetically Sort by Net EU contribution Expand all Collapse all Third-party Legal entity other than a subcontractor which is affiliated or legally linked to a participant. The entity carries out work under the conditions laid down in the Grant Agreement, supplies goods or provides services for the action, but did not sign the Grant Agreement. A third party abides by the rules applicable to its related participant under the Grant Agreement with regard to eligibility of costs and control of expenditure. ECOLE NATIONALE SUPERIEURE DES MINES DE PARIS France Net EU contribution € 302 812,50 Address Boulevard saint michel 60 75272 Paris See on map Region Ile-de-France Ile-de-France Paris Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00 IMPERIAL COLLEGE OF SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY AND MEDICINE United Kingdom Net EU contribution € 831 256,25 Address South kensington campus exhibition road SW7 2AZ London See on map Region London Inner London — West Westminster Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00 SINTEF AS Norway Net EU contribution € 742 225,00 Address Strindvegen 4 7034 Trondheim See on map Region Norge Trøndelag Trøndelag Activity type Research Organisations Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00 DRILLSTAR INDUSTRIES France Net EU contribution € 818 187,50 Address Avenue joliot-curie 64000 Lons induspal cedex See on map Region Corse Corse Corse-du-Sud Activity type Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00 UNIVERSITY OF PIRAEUS RESEARCH CENTER Greece Net EU contribution € 340 242,50 Address Al. papanastasiou 91 185 33 Piraeus See on map Region Αττική Aττική Πειραιάς Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00 CHINA UNIVERSITY OF PETROLEUM (EAST CHINA) China Net EU contribution € 0,00 Address No 271 north 2 road 266580 Dongying See on map Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00
