The University of Oklahoma (OU) and DeepPower Inc. has unveiled a drilling rig that had been designed to revolutionize the field of geothermal drilling. The drilling rig was conceptualized by Orkhan Khankishiyev, a masters student at OU, with help from his department including Saeed Salehi, associate professor of petroleum engineering at OU’s Mewbourne School of Petroleum and Geological Engineering.
Utah-based startup DeepPower Inc. had previously reported that the drilling rate of their breakthrough drilling technology can achieve a 600% increase in drilling rate based on ROP modeling. This is compared to conventional geothermal drilling methods. When compared to drilling using millimeter-wave technology, the patent-pending drilling technology of DeepPower still reports a 300% drilling rate increase.
Furthermore, DeepPower’s patent-pending technology is being developed to go where conventional geothermal drills cannot go, deep into Superhot Rock.
At the unveiling of the drilling rig, Salehi said that testing is still two to five years away. However, the drilling technology is a step closer to having “Geothermal Anywhere.” In the next 10 years, Salehi expects this technology to become standard around the world. He clarified that the drilling would require proper zoning, but in principle because of the size of the operation, steam vents could fit in someone’s backyard.
John Antonio, interim dean of the Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy at OU, said the university is interested in drilling in practice, and not just in theory. “It’s not just a simulation study. It’s about building a real artifact to prove the concept.”
“We’re not quite to that point yet to determine if [Oklahoma] is where we do it,” said DeepPower CEO Andrew Van Noy when asked about the first drilling site. “Once we can establish that the theory works, we’ll have to decide where we start drilling the first hole.”
Last year, DeepPower entered into a sponsored research agreement with the University of Oklahoma for a project led by Dr. Salehi to develop a breakthrough geothermal drilling technology. DeepPower has an exclusive option to license all resulting technology from this project for commercialization.
