3D Printed Seal for Geothermal Power | The Cool Parts Show Ep.73
Geothermal drilling is like oil and gas drilling, but deeper and hotter. Many of the needs are the same, but conditions such as operating temperatures around 400°F mean much of the oil and gas industry’s standard hardware won’t work and new solutions have to be found. In this episode of The Cool Parts Show, we look at an example: Downhole Emerging Technologies developed a device for temporarily plugging deep wells in geothermal drilling. The company’s Diamond Seal won a recent Department of Energy contest aimed at encouraging the technology innovation needed to advance geothermal power. The stainless steel component is made through laser powder bed fusion because the key to its operation is geometry enabling it to flex through the diameter change needed to travel down the hole, close it, and then travel out again.
This episode of The Cool Parts Show brought to you by Carpenter Additive. https://www.carpenteradditive.com/
JOIN THE COOL PARTS SHOW ALL ACCESS! Get early notice when new episodes appear and access to exclusive extras. FREE MEMBERSHIP: https://thecoolpartsshow.com/allaccess
LEARN MORE ABOUT:
Downhole Emerging Technologies
https://det-ofs.com/
The Department of Energy’s American-Made Geothermal Manufacturing Prize
https://www.herox.com/GeothermalManuf...
Additive manufacturing for oil and gas drilling
https://www.additivemanufacturing.med...
Another alternative-energy cool part: Additive manufacturing for nuclear power
https://www.additivemanufacturing.med...
Subscribe to THE BUILDUP, Additive Manufacturing Media's newsletter on 3D printing for industrial production:
https://gbm.media/JoinTheBuildup