System for rapidly boring through materials
US7828078B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 23, 2006 |
| Grant date | Nov 9, 2010 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 23, 2026 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC E)Fixed Constructions
- CPC primaryE21B7/18
- WIPO fieldCivil engineering
- WIPO sectorOther fields
Abstract
The present invention is a self-contained, high-energy liquid rock-boring system that will bore a small-diameter access hole [5] several hundred meters through hard granite and other obstacles within minutes of deployment. It employs a land unit [100] platform subsystem [1000] with an energetic fluid fuel reservoir [1300] and a boring subsystem [3000] having a plurality of pulsejets [3100]. Each pulsejet [3100] repeatedly ignites the energetic fluid [7] causing a plurality of rapidly-expanding gas bubbles [3250] which create and force a plurality liquid slugs [10] ahead of them rapidly out through a nozzle [3260] causing the slugs [10] to impact against materials ahead of the nozzles [3260], boring an access hole [5]. The system also employs an umbilical subsystem [2000] connecting the boring [3000] and the platform subsystems [1000]. The system can be used to rapidly bore an access hole [5] to provide air and resources to trapped miners. Alternatively, the system may also be used to bore an access hole [5] to underground threatening targets to neutralize them.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.