Applying Resonance Enhanced Drilling to coring
VBPR approached OGIC to support a proof of concept project to identify if Resonance Enhanced Drilling (RED) could be used for coring. OGIC supported VBPR’s project with the RED team from the University of Aberdeen.
The project had three principle goals:
1. Test RED technology efficiency with a coring bit.
2. Attain equal or improved core quality for the homogeneous test rocks.
3. Improve ROP of core cutting without sacrificing quality.
The research demonstrated no negative effects, no fracturing and that the cores were of good quality. Importantly, the pilot project demonstrated that ROP (rate of penetration) could be substantially improved for coring applications by as much as 50%. This increase could be extremely important for longer coring runs and could have important applications beyond industry such as IODP scientific drilling where coring for up to and over 1 km is relatively common. The next stage for this project will be to initiate a development project to bring the coring technology to market.