Paving the way to critical minerals 

What do wind turbines, EV batteries, military equipment and your smartphone have in common? Probably more than you think. 

To be manufactured, these products require critical minerals that are found beneath our feet. 

But gaining access to these minerals, which are crucial and in high demand worldwide, is not a simple process. Currently, the United States relies heavily on importing these materials, which can be delayed for various reasons. As a result, finding domestic sources of critical minerals is a priority. 

But finding new sources of critical minerals can take years of drilling, sample collection and laboratory testing before geologists know whether a site contains sufficient deposits to merit development. Researchers at Texas A&M University are working to change that. 

A team led by Dr. Roman Shor, associate professor in the Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering, received $3.5 million from the U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA-E) through its Reliable Ore Characterization with Keystone Sensing (ROCKS) program to develop an advanced drilling system that can identify valuable minerals in real time. 

Their project, Rapid Analysis of Precious and Targeted Ores with Rotary Drilling (RAPTOR), brings together researchers from Texas A&M, The University of Texas at Austin and industry partners. 

The research team will develop a mobile and efficient drilling system, based on coiled tubing drilling, that combines faster drilling technology, real-time rock analysis and artificial intelligence. Their goal is to dramatically reduce the time needed to evaluate potential deposits of rare earth elements and other critical minerals. 

“Critical minerals are essential components in everyday technologies,” said Shor. “But searching for these minerals can take years and cost large amounts of money for sometimes little payoff.” 

Critical minerals are necessary in large quantities for batteries, motors, inverters and semiconductors, but are generally present at low concentrations in rock formations.  Finding deposits with higher concentrations is essential.

Companies looking for critical minerals often drill hundreds of shallow exploratory boreholes, collect thousands of feet of rock core and send samples off for analysis. The process takes years at a time when critical minerals are in extremely high demand for the products consumers rely on for safety, communication and energy. Shor’s project could replace much of that lengthy process with immediate data collected at the drill site. 

Instead of waiting for results to come back from a lab, the research team is developing a system that continuously collects samples to analyze as they reach the surface. Using advanced sensing technologies and machine learning, the system will identify the minerals and elements present in the samples in real time, allowing drilling teams to make immediate decisions about where to continue drilling. 

The project also incorporates rotary percussive drilling technology, which combines traditional rotary drilling with a hammering action to drill through rock more efficiently. Previous studies have shown this approach can significantly increase drilling speed compared to conventional methods.

“There are many challenges we face in accessing critical minerals in the United States,” said Shor. “Our drilling system design, coupled with advanced controls and real-time digital twinning, would help solve many of them while lowering exploration costs, improving drilling efficiency and enabling faster identification of critical minerals.” 

Shor, the principal investigator, along with co-PIs Dr. Wencheng Jin and Dr. Siddharth Misra, will work in collaboration with Drs. Eric van Oort, Pradeep Ashok and Maggie Chen from UT, Chuck Wright from National Oilwell Varco (NOV) and David Tonner from Diversified Wellbore Logging.

ARPA-E’s ROCKS program aims to accelerate U.S. mineral independence by developing cutting-edge drilling, sensing and analytical technologies that enable rapid, high-resolution and cost-effective assessments of critical mineral deposits. 

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.