Drillstar continued its participation at the annual GeoTHERM expo and congress, and was back in  Offenburg in March 2023 to present the project ORCHYD. Drillstar and our University partner Armines-MinesParis, presented our latest results of both simulation and lab experiments, showing impressive improvement of the drilling speed in hard brittle rocks.

ORCHYD is a European Union funded project, aiming at improving the drilling rate and reducing the cost of drilling deep geothermal wells. Drillstar and its partners are developing an innovative drilling technology, combining percussive drilling and ultra high-pressure water jetting. The percussion is generated by Drillstar’s  MUDHammer, an 8 ½” MUDHammer was on display at the booth. We also exhibited drilled rock samples, high-pressure nozzles and experiment videos, including the rock destruction process at the bit filmed at 12 000 frames per seconds and displayed in slow motion.

It was great to meet visitors at the stand and the other exhibitors, to catch up on our respective progress and discuss possible collaboration. The ORCHYD project is set to end in 2024 but we already have plans for continuing development of the prototype, including continuing field trials promising exciting projects to come!