The geothermal industry faces several challenges in the exploration and exploitation process of deep geothermal resources. Some of these challenges include poor drilling performance, lack of bottom hole awareness, and absence of tools for real-time process optimization, resulting in significant non-productive time. In deep geothermal projects, the drilling process alone can account for a significant proportion of the overall project cost of up to 60%. To provide a solution to minimize these uncertainties and the associated costs, a data driven AI-based drilling advisory systems is being developed within the OptiDrill project. The system applies machine learning based models to optimize the drilling process for geothermal wells and at the same time increases the economic attractiveness and accessibility of geothermal energy. The drilling advisory system consists of four main modules, each addressing a different aspect of the drilling process. The four modules focus on the areas of drilling performance prediction and optimization, drilled lithology prediction, drilling problem detection and well completion and stimulation optimization. This presentation provides an overview of the OptiDrill project with a focus on the developments based on AI methods. It introduces and presents software modules focused on drilling process performance prediction and optimization as well as drilled lithology prediction. Both modules utilize artificial neural network models trained on historical drilling data from oil, gas, and geothermal projects to predict target values, such as rate of penetration and drilled formation lithology. These predictions offer valuable insights to drillers, contributing to a more effective and seamless drilling process.

Many of the planned geothermal wells to deliver hot water into already existing central heating systems of mid-size cities have to be drilled in densely populated urban areas. For a more economical drilling of geothermal wells up to 2500 m Huisman Equipment has modified and optimized the existing HM 150 ton drilling rig unit in many details.

The HMR 150 rig fulfills now all the challenges necessary for the drilling of geothermal wells. Because the pipe – and casing handler is now part of the rig trailer a drill pad size of 30 m x 30 m only is required. Only 3 people per shift are required to operate the rig, while offering hands-off semi automated tripping of drill pipes and casing up to 16 inch.

The max 8 trailerized loads result in fast crane-less rig moves, performed within one dayshift. Completed with the new developed high torque ( > 50.000 Nm ) universal top drive large diameter wells can be drilled in reversed circulation technology ( 20 inch and bigger). Wireline coring ( SQ and PQ ) can be executed as well.

Combined with the 340 bar mud pump pressure it ensures that modern down-hole-motors and down-the-hole-hammers can be operated. Noise emissions are minimized and the energy consumption is reduced clearly by the electric powered rig where even CO2 neutral operations can be achieved when connected to a power grid.

Planned mid-deep geothermal wells are now enabled by the modernized HMR 150 faster, safer, and with minimal environmental impact.

Geomachine’s geothermal solution includes the development of a revolutionary DTH drill rig that drills down to 3000 meters. In addition the concept includes a compressor (GMair35) and booster (GMair80) pattern as well as an IoT-based control system for controlling and developing the drilling process. We also support our customers with the rig’s technical operation and help improve the drilling processes.

GM2000 is a geothermal well-drilling rig that enables the efficient utilisation of geothermal heat in larger sites and district heating networks. It is the first rig in the world specially designed for drilling 3,000-metre-deep wells.

GMair35 is an economical, simple-to-use compressor. All unnecessary has been eliminated to produce compressed air with as little fuel as possible.

GMair80 powered by Keystone is a booster compressor modified for European conditions. It compresses the compressed air up to 79 bar with 70 cubic metres of air per minute.

GMTracker(DTH) is a solution for monitoring the drilling work and collecting and storing drilling data. It increases the overall efficiency of the drilling process by monitoring the drilling parameters and, if necessary, suggesting changes to optimise the process.

GM2000 Drilling Rig, GMair35 Compressor, GMair80 Booster and GMTracker IOT solution is Geomachine’s integrated geothermal product family, which gives performance and economy for drilling geothermal wells.

We have developed a versatile model that simulates transient thermal behaviours of downhole tools and the surrounding environments when drilling into hot geothermal reservoirs. Special emphasis was placed on flexibility and full transparency during development. Assessing the correct functioning of the model at the most basic level—each individual equation—is essential to understand and simulate the physics behind novel events or situations that are increasingly occurring in the geothermal domain. The thermal wellbore model predicts the temperature evolution over time along and across certain solid parts of the bottomhole assembly (BHA), drillstring, and surrounding rock, as well as in the drilling fluid column (also known as mud; within both drillpipe and annulus, respectively), when different parameters are altered. Those parameters include surface temperature, mud pit volume, mud flow rate, well diameter, depth, inclination, geothermal temperature gradient and physical properties of drillpipe, BHA, rock formation, and mud. The model results will be validated against several different datasets. Beyond quasistatic solutions, particular emphasis is given to the simulation of highly dynamic drilling operations. Temperature profiles driven by mud losses and high-temperature influxes will also be presented. The model will reveal overlooked or neglected challenges and will point towards possible strategies on how to overcome or even use them. It is a new building block with which geothermal drilling will potentially become more reliable, more productive, and more cost effective.

A rig/wellbore drilling hydraulics monitoring tool is essential for detecting and mitigating drilling problems such as plugged nozzles, cuttings accumulation, and well control issues. SINDI DRILLING is a simulation tool for real-time monitoring using rig sensor data, and offline job design calculations. The solution was developed based on practical experience and state-of-the-art science.

This tool prioritizes intuitive and user-friendly operation and is equipped with a graphical user interface (GUI) featuring dropdown buttons for easy input and results visualization. Hydraulic key parameters ensuring a safe and efficient drilling process are calculated and analyzed against measurements, including standpipe pressure (SPP), equivalent circulating density (ECD), mud loading, cuttings velocity, surge and swab pressures, and wellbore in/out-flux.

During the presentation, a drilling operations monitoring job is demonstrated using a real-life oil well sensor dataset. The process involves walking through the following configuration panels:

1. Wellbore Schematic and Surface Facility

2. Drillstring Tools and Dynamic Hydraulics Fields

3. Mud Properties and Mud Motor

4. Offline Pressure Calculation

5. Real-Time Pressure Calculation

6. SPP, ECD, Slip, and Geometry vs. MD

7. Surge and Swab

After configuring and checking inputs, the simulation runs, and the results are visualized and interpreted via the GUI. Thanks to built-in workarounds derived from oil and gas drilling experience, the model setup and calculations remain straightforward, even with limited input data.

Learnings and needs specific to geothermal drilling, especially in High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT) settings and Managed Pressure Drilling (MPD), are also elaborated.