Continuous emissions monitor for directed-energy borehole drilling
AssigneeMassachusetts Institute of Technology
InventorPaul P. Woskov
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Apparatus and methods for monitoring emissions from a borehole to determine the composition of earthen material removed from the borehole are described. Monitoring can be done in real time as the borehole is being deepened with a millimeter-wave drilling beam. The present technology can monitor in real-time the elemental composition of the earthen materials (e.g., rock, minerals, crystals, metals, etc.) in a borehole created by a directed-energy beam that melts and vaporizes the earthen material materials in its path. Using a continuous emissions monitor (CEM) in combination with directed-energy excavation of a borehole enables rapid surveying of the subsurface for precious and commercial metals.
Claims20
A method of monitoring emissions from a borehole drilled with a millimeter-wave directed-energy drilling beam, the method comprising:
- receiving, in a plasma chamber, exhaust gas created by vaporizing earthen material with the millimeter-wave directed-energy drilling beam;
- in the plasma chamber, heating the exhaust gas with electromagnetic radiation to produce a plasma and optical emissions from the plasma;
- making a spectroscopic measurement of the optical emissions with a spectrometer;
- and
- determining a composition of the exhaust gas based on the spectroscopic measurement of the optical emissions.
A system for monitoring the composition of earthen material in a borehole created by a millimeter-wave directed-energy drilling beam, the system comprising:
- a plasma chamber to receive exhaust gas from the borehole and to receive a portion of millimeter-wave radiation that is used to make the millimeter-wave directed-energy drilling beam, wherein the plasma chamber is configured to heat the exhaust gas with the portion of the millimeter-wave radiation to create a plasma emitting optical emissions;
- and
- a spectrometer, in electromagnetic communication with the plasma chamber, to measure a spectrum of the optical emissions from the plasma, the spectrum indicating the composition of the earthen material in the borehole.
A system for drilling a borehole and monitoring emissions from the borehole, the system comprising:
- a high-power millimeter-wave (MMW) source;
- a waveguide to carry MMW radiation from the MMW source to the borehole;
- exhaust piping to seal the borehole and capture exhaust gas from the borehole while the borehole is being deepened with a MMW drilling beam formed from the MMW radiation;
- a plasma chamber in fluid communication with the exhaust piping to receive an exhaust slip stream picked off from the exhaust gas;
- a spectrometer in electromagnetic communication with the plasma chamber to detect emissions from a plasma formed in the plasma chamber from the exhaust slip stream;
- and
- a reflected power isolator, in electromagnetic communication with the plasma chamber, to couple a portion of the MMW radiation produced by the MMW source to the plasma chamber.
A system for drilling a borehole and monitoring emissions from the borehole, the system comprising:
- a high-power millimeter-wave (MMW) source;
- a waveguide to carry MMW radiation from the MMW source to the borehole;
- exhaust piping to seal the borehole and capture exhaust gas from the borehole while the borehole is being deepened with a MMW drilling beam formed from the MMW radiation;
- a plasma chamber in fluid communication with the exhaust piping to receive an exhaust slip stream picked off from the exhaust gas;
- a spectrometer in electromagnetic communication with the plasma chamber to detect emissions from a plasma formed in the plasma chamber from the exhaust slip stream;
- and
- a calibration source, in fluid communication with the plasma chamber, to provide an aerosol for calibration of the spectrometer to the plasma chamber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.