A CONSORTIUM OF COMPLEMENTARY EXPERTISE

Established in Cambridge, UK in 1946 and with several facilities across the globe, TW (www.twi-global.com) is one of Europe’s foremost independent research and technology organisations, employing 740 scientists, technologists, administrative and support staff world-wide (523 in the UK and Europe) and with annual (2017) group turnover of £60 million. TWI works across all industry sectors with expertise in key aspects of materials, materials joining, structural integrity, static and dynamic testing and Non Destructive Testing (NDT) and Non Destructive Evaluation (NDE) and has representation on over 100 standards committees.

TWI will co-ordinate the project and will lead the dissemination and exploitation activities. TWI hosts the largest independent Surface Engineering and Advanced Coatings (SEAC) centre in the UK, from this they will perform the thermal spray coating and electroless plating processes of the drill teeth and head. They will carry out the erosion corrosion testing in simulated geothermal environments.

IEG Fraunhofer – Institute for energy infrastructure and geothermal energy, Bochum / Germany, is a partly public funded Industry Research Institute for Applied Sciences and Geo technologies with offices in five other towns in Germany. Since 2020 the Institute is part of the well renowned Fraunhofer network and therefore has access to a wide range of expertise in nearly all technology sectors. IEG belongs to the largest geothermal research institutes within the European Energy Research Alliance and hosts a unique world-class on-site and in-situ laboratory, drilling rigs and test-site equipment for education, fundamental and applied research at all spatial and temporal scales at one place. The Centre offers its facilities as internal and external service from public, private, and commercial institutions. This extraordinary R&D infrastructure was built up since 2003 and is operated by an association of more than 10 international Universities and Public Bodies. IEG focuses its scientific activities on geothermal energy synergically with four departments (Advanced Drilling Technologies, Infrastructure and Applications, Geothermal Geology and Reservoir Engineering & Rock Physics) and is active in geothermal technology development for drilling (thermal, mechanical, hydraulic), materials and products for boreholes, power plants, direct uses by using test-facilities from micro-to-macro scale. PhD-students, PostDocs and M.Sc. students from all over the world are permanent visiting researchers at IEG.

IEG bring their expertise in developing water and mud DTH hammers and has DTH hammer testing facility They will develop and test Geo-Drill hammers. They will also perform validation activities of Geo-Drill systems

Geolorn Ltd., is a project management and logistical support company that works across the Resources Exploration and Exploitation Industries. Geolorn Ltd. brings together specialist technologies and personnel, to ensure project efficacies, optimal cost profiles and best practices, often working with new and POC technical proposals. Geolorn Ltd. is ideally suited to this proposal, as it offers industry specific insights and advice, which will help to maximise the industrial effectiveness of the equipment research programme, hugely important for ensuring that any research has a tangible effect to the deep geothermal drilling industry.

Geolorn brings their experience of deep geothermal drilling projects, equipment utilisation and shortcomings. GEO has global experience in working with funding groups, risk rationalisation, mitigation and project management and will work on exploitation of Geo-Drill.

Iceland Drilling Company Ltd is a leading company in the field of high temperature deep geothermal drilling and has many decades of experience in both high and low temperature drilling. The company operates internationally and possesses a fleet of new hydraulic rigs and modern drilling equipment that can be transferred swiftly from one part of the world to another. Iceland Drilling has well-grounded expertise in international deep drilling projects, with a record of several hundred high temperature geothermal wells.

Partner ID is a leading company in the field of high temperature deep geothermal drilling and has many decades of experience in both high and low temperature drilling. ID has well-grounded expertise in international deep drilling projects, with a record of several hundred high temperature geothermal wells. ID will support in the FMEA analysis and characterization of geothermal drilling environment, as well as providing input regarding the simulations, KBS and DSS. ID will also observe and analyse the validation.

PVI is an SME which designs and manufactures automotive position sensors and throttle pedals for some of the world's most iconic marques. Since 1990, PVI has delivered zero defect sensors to GM, McLaren Automotive, Fiat, Mercedes, Volvo and Smart. In 2000 PVI developed a fully integrated pedal and shipped more than one million pieces annually to Ford. PVI has produced in- house screen-printed carbon ink formulations for automotive potentiometers for 25 years being a major supplier of contact and none-contact position and acceleration sensors. In total PVI have supplied the market with more than 30 million units.

PVI brings their expertise in designing and manufacturing sensor for automotive industry and will transfer their sensor design and manufacturing knowledge and expertise to geothermal sector.

Technovative Solutions is an UK based SME providing solutions on design optimization, knowledge-based engineering, process automation, life cycle analysis and life cost analysis. Our consultants are pioneer in KBE research in the UK. Our research is focused on highlighting how the KBE method can bring added value to achieve design automation and how KBE can help reduce the amount of time spent on various phases of the design life cycle. We have in-depth research and technical expertise in the adaptive modelling, generative modelling and common computation model of KBE, which are crucial for the successful execution of this project. Recent work in scientific and technological areas related to the research proposal include (i) informal and formal modelling of engineering processes for design automation using KBE; (ii) a design study of a horizontal axis tidal turbine blade in KBE environment; and (iii) modelling and evaluating technologies used within the creation of KBE-driven virtual product development.

TVS brings their deep understanding in developing knowledge-based tool, decision support tool, LCA analysis. They will bring expertise of computing, software development, and environmental science.

FlowPhys AS specializes in developing fast and efficient software for engineering analyses. The main product is the software FlowPhys, which is a finite element based software for general geometries in 1D, 2D, and 3D. The FlowPhys software does not use external libraries; all the solution algorithms, matrix solvers, etc. are natively developed and programmed, making it flexible and relatively easy to create new bespoke software. Some of the algorithms and solvers have been highly optimized and are often several times faster than other commercial software.

FlowPhys brings their research expertise in simulations and software development for CFD, flow assurance, process, structural dynamics, Design-of-Experiments, meta-modelling from oil & gas as well as geothermal sectors.

CEA is a Research and Technology Organization (RTO) and a full member of EARTO. It aims to produce, integrate and transfer science and technology to help resolve the main EU challenges (low carbon energies, defense and security, information and healthcare technologies) and to exploit opportunities for new wealth creation, improved standards of living, and economic competitiveness. CEA brings together key players across the whole innovation chain, from fundamental to technological research, from product and process development to prototyping and demonstration, and support full-scale implementation in the public and private sectors. CEA has a budget of 4.1 billion€ (2015), nearly 16 000 employees and file more than 500 patents /year.

CEA brings their expertise of developing materials and joining technology for harsh environment and will develop drill bit and stabilizer.

The knowledge-based company Gerosion was founded in 2014 after having being selected to participate in the first energy business accelerator in Iceland: Start-up Energy Reykjavik. Gerosion specializes in solutions for the geothermal sector and provides consultation, material testing and specialized research and development work for entities in the geothermal and petroleum industries. Gerosion also specializes in materials science research for the building industry and energy intensive industries. Moreover, Gerosion provides comprehensive material testing services and assistance with the interpretation of measurement results, with a focus on testing high performance materials, including metals, composite materials and well cement grouts for casing and equipment of deep high temperature and pressure wells. Gerosion can help to make the right material choice for harsh environments. We specialize in materials for demanding and corrosive environments, including supercritical conditions and high temperature and pressure boreholes. We have many years of experience in R&D work regarding high performance metals, ceramic composites and cementitious materials.

GER brings their expertise in geophysics and geology and will characterize the geothermal drilling environment. GER has extensive experience in rheology and rheological measurements and will assist with the development of the fluidic amplifier by measuring the plastic viscosity and yield value of the mud slurry at elevated temperature and pressure. GER will test the developed sensors in high temperature and pressure fluid in laboratory and evaluate the performance of the composite sensors, as well as evaluate the materials used for the composite sensors and printed circuitry.

The University of Iceland (UoI), founded in 1911, is a research led state university, situated in the heart of Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland. A modern, diversified and rapidly developing institution, the University of Iceland offers internationally competitive undergraduate and graduate programs based on the Bologna system. The University employs over 1.500 people, and has over 14.000 students of which there are close to 500 PhD students. The Times Higher Education Supplement ranks UoI at 222 for the top Universities in the world. The Department of Industrial Eng., Mechanical Eng. and Computer Science, at the School of Engineering and Natural Sciences (SENS), has a staff of 38 and 13 PhD students. The Faculty has a strong international research cooperation and obtains research funding from both National and International sources. The University of Iceland has participated in numerous projects under the FP6, FP7 and H2020, both as a coordinator and as a project partner. The UoI has participated in 52 FP7 projects where SENS participated in 32 FP7 projects, thereof one ERC project. SENS also participates actively in a multitude of Nordic, national and international projects funded by NASA and NIH.

Partner UoI has deep understanding and vast experience in analysing corrosion behaviour, anti-corrosion performance of materials in simulated geothermal environment and will bring expertise in experimental design & corrosion testing in simulated geothermal environment.

Rina Consulting – Centro Sviluppo Materiali (CSM in the following) is a company based in Rome, Italy. CSM is a private innovation centre - founded in 1963 by Italy’s major steel industry, today part of RINA, a global provider of classification, certification, testing, inspection and training services to assist clients in Marine, Energy, Transport & Infrastructures, Environment and Innovation. With a staff of about 200 researchers and technicians, 20 laboratories and full-scale testing facilities, CSM ranks amongst Europe’s top Materials Research Centers carrying out research and development in close collaboration with Government, European and International supporting institutions, agencies and industries, and many national and international universities. Main areas of expertise are related to modelling and design of materials and products, assessment of materials and product performances, even through challenging full-scale tests, optimization and development of processes.

Partner CSM brings its expertise in materials and coating characterization. CSM will use the experience gained in designing and testing threaded connections for oil and gas application by performing design and optimization of Geo-Drill tool joints.

GRAPHENEA is a leading graphene manufacturer company focused on high quality graphene materials for industrial applications. GRAPHENEA was established in 2010 as a joint venture between private investors and the Nanoscience Cooperative Research Centre, nanoGUNE Consolider (nanoGUNE). In 2013, GRAPHENEA received significant private investment and became fully independent of nanoGUNE. GRAPHENEA supplies leading companies around the world in the electronics, composites, batteries and solar cells sectors. GRAPHENEA has developed proprietary technology and IP portfolio on graphene manufacturing processes. GRAPHENEA has 25 full time employees. GRAPHENEA's focus is to develop the graphene industry in order to add value to the nanomaterials industry. GRAPHENEA specialises in the synthesis of graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) via the chemical exfoliation of graphite. GRAPHENEA has a broad experience in the dispersion, functionalisation and handling of graphene flakes. In addition, GRAPHENEA has an extensive expertise in the synthesis, characterisation and manipulation of high quality monolayer graphene films. The graphene films are produced via chemical vapour deposition (CVD) technology.

Partner GRA brings their expertise in synthesis, functionalization and dispersion of Graphene based materials and will develop GO based materials and coatings.