The OptiDrill project’s technical partners met for the technology transfer and synergy realisation of the two projects GeoDrill and OptiDrill, at IEG Bochum, Fraunhofer, Germany, on 28-29 March 2023. The GeoDrill project aims to develop cost-efficient “holistic” drilling technologies. In contrast, the OptiDrill project aims to develop a drilling advisory system for the optimisation of the geothermal drilling operation with machine learning and novel sensors. As a result, both projects identified synergies in technology transfer. 

The OptiDrill System has been tested with the data acquisition system and novel sensor strings. OptiDrill’s partner Technovative Solutions Ltd (TVS), developed the data acquisition system to acquire data from different systems, e.g., drill rig and sensor string, while Precision Varionic International (PVI) developed the novel sensor strings. The coordinator Fraunhofer IEG’s DTH hammer testing facility was used for the field demonstration.

OptiDrill’s project officer, the representative of EC CINEA, Filipa Vieira-Matias, was present during the technology transfer and synergy meeting. 

The GeoDrill and OptiDrill projects have received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. GeoDrill Project Grant Agreement No. 815319 and OptiDrill Project Grant Agreement No: 101006964.