Back to results
US 2006/0137909 A1Published application
Portable electrocrushing drill
AssigneeTetra Corporation
InventorWilliam Moeny
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention relates to a portable, electrocrushing drilling apparatus and method.
Claims34
A pulsed power apparatus for passing a pulsed electrical current through a substrate to drill the substrate, said apparatus comprising:
- a drill tip;
- an electrode assembly comprising at least one set of at least two electrodes disposed on said drill tip defining there between at least one electrode gap, said electrodes of each said set oriented substantially along a face of said drill bit to pass current through the substrate;
- a cable for connecting said electrode assembly to a pulse generator;
- a fluid flow component for providing flushing fluid to said drill tip;
- and
- a drill stem assembly for enclosing and supporting said electrode assembly and providing for directional control of said drill while drilling.
3 more elements
A method for passing a pulsed electrical current through a substrate, said method comprising:
- providing a drill comprising a drill tip, an electrode assembly, a cable connected to a pulse generator, and a drill stem assembly;
- providing fluid at the drill tip;
- disposing at least one set of at least two electrodes on the drill bit defining therebetween at least one electrode gap;
- orienting the electrodes of each set substantially along a face of the drill bit to pass current through the substrate;
- and
- providing directional control of the drill while drilling via the drill stem assembly.
3 more elements
The method of claim 33 wherein the step of operating a plurality of drills off a single pulse generator comprises operating the drills simultaneously.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.