The EU-funded DeepU project has announced that its laser drilling technology is now ready for field testing, with the aim of cutting costs, improving efficiency, and reducing the environmental footprint of deep drilling operations for geothermal energy.
Funded by the European Innovation Council (EIC) Pathfinder programme under Horizon Europe (Grant Agreement No. 101046937), DeepU has been coordinated by the University of Padua and then RED SRL, in collaboration with Prevent GmbH, Fraunhofer IAPT, Geoserv Ltd, the University of Wroclaw, and Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche-IGG, representing four European countries.
After 44 months of intensive research, laboratory experiments, and computer simulations, the DeepU consortium has produced its first operational prototype — a system that uses a laser beam and a supercritical nitrogen stream to drill through rock without physical contact. The newly developed prototype combines three essential functions in a single drill string and a drilling head:
- Directing the laser beam to drill rock with precision
- Channeling the nitrogen flow to remove particles and cool the borehole walls
- Providing a robust structure for the drilling operation
Beyond its technical achievements, the project identified optimal laser settings for different rock types, evaluated environmental and safety standards to ensure responsible deployment, and explored potential markets for large-scale technical applications.
“Reaching the field-testing stage is a key step toward making geothermal energy a reliable, cost-effective source available anytime, anywhere in the world,” said Luc Pockelé, Project Coordinator at RED SRL. “With DeepU, we can tap into the Earth’s heat in a cleaner, smarter way.”
Source: DeepU
