CASE STUDY /
Ansys + Quaise
Using Ansys Mechanical and Fluent to
Understand the Thermodynamics of a
Novel Millimeter Wave Drilling Process
“We are solving the challenging problem of millimeter wave drilling that promises
to unlock one of the most important sources of clean energy on the planet.
Using Ansys simulation obtained through the Ansys Startup Program, our highly
experienced team was able to cut testing time by three months and reduce a
testing campaign from ten design iterations to only three. This allowed us to focus
more of our engineering resources towards production and supply chain activities."
Carlos Araque
CEO / Quaise
CASE STUDY
We are in the early stages of developing millimeter wave drilling technology for deep
geothermal heat access, mining and civil construction. Testing at this stage is cost-prohibitive
so we use simulation to understand likely operating envelopes before committing to a
design. Ansys can help improve the process from a coupled mechanical, thermal, fluid and
electromagnetic interaction.
/ CHALLENGES / COMPANY
We are pursuing the development of millimeter wave drilling. This is a very new DESCRIPTION
product in its early stages of development, so before we commit to a design, we Founded in 2018, Quaise is
are trying to understand the technical program of transferring millimeter waves an energy company that is
over long distances via overmoded waveguides, interaction of those waves with pursuing the development
heterogenous igneous rocks, phase changes and multiphase mass transport over and commercialization of
high thermal and pressure gradients. These are all very difficult to control and millimeter wave drilling
expensive to test in a real-world experiment, so we use simulation to peek into technology for deep
the process. geothermal heat access,
mining and civil construction.
/ TECHNOLOGY USED Their hybrid deep drilling
• Ansys Fluent method allows drilling at
• Ansys Mechanical depths beyond what can
be accomplished today
/ ENGINEERING SOLUTION with conventional drilling.
• Ansys Fluent is used to simulate turbulent flow with particle and heat transport. Quaise’s technology creates
• Ansys Workbench is used to explore many design iterations. a promising future for the
• Ansys Mechanical is used to understand the thermal effects and limits of transition of clean energy
downhole equipment. globally.
• Ansys CFD Post is used to look at all field variables of interest, like pressure,
temperature, flow velocity, strain, stress and particle trajectories.
/ BENEFITS
By using simulation, we were able to do something that would have been otherwise
impractical to do through real-world testing. Simulation helped us understand the
process better so we know what to expect during future testing. Through advanced
modeling and simulation, we saved three months of testing time and reduced a
testing campaign from ten iterations to only three, allowing us to focus some of our
engineering resources towards production and supply chain activities.
ANSYS, Inc.
Southpointe
2600 Ansys Drive
Canonsburg, PA 15317
U.S.A.
724.746.3304
ansysinfo@[Link]
©2021 Ansys, Inc.
Figure 1. Steady axisymmetric velocity field at the bottom of the millimeter wave drill string All Rights Reserved.
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Case Study: Ansys + Quaise // 2
