Systems for drilling or tunneling include an assembly for accelerating a projectile into a region of geologic material. An interaction between the projectile and the geologic material extends a borehole and forms debris. The debris may be reduced in size by moving the debris to a crushing device. The reduced-size debris is then moved toward the surface using fluid movement. Water jets or other types of devices may be used to cut or deform a perimeter of a region of geologic material before the projectile is accelerated to control the shape of the borehole and the manner in which debris is broken from the geologic material.

Methods and systems for determining a spectral ratio log using a time domain seismic image and a seismic velocity model are disclosed. The method includes determining a first mono-spectral seismic image and a second mono-spectral seismic image from the time domain seismic image. The method further includes determining a time domain spectral ratio image from the first mono-spectral seismic image and the second mono-spectral seismic image and transforming the time domain spectral ratio image into a depth domain spectral ratio image using the seismic velocity model. The method still further includes defining a wellbore path through the depth domain spectral ratio image and determining a spectral ratio log along the wellbore path from the depth domain spectral ratio.

Geologic material in a borehole is weakened by accelerating a projectile into contact with the material. A drill bit is then used to bore through the weakened material. To accelerate the projectile, an endcap is placed in a conduit using a source of gas. The endcap isolates the conduit from the external environment. A projectile is then positioned in the conduit above the endcap. Movable members within the conduit are operated in sequence to enable single endcaps and projectiles to be moved into the conduit. Gas from the conduit is evacuated into an annulus between the conduit and a surrounding conduit, and a propellant material is provided into the conduit. The propellant material applies a force to the projectile to accelerate the projectile into contact with the geologic material. A fluid is circulated down a second annulus outside of the surrounding conduit to contact the drill bit and remove debris.

A pressure compensator including a housing, an electroactive polymer (EAP) disposed in the housing and defining a volume therein, the volume being changeable upon application of an electric signal. A method for managing pressure in a tool including applying an electrical signal to the pressure compensator and changing a shape of the EAP to change the volume of the compensator whereby the pressure in the tool is altered. A borehole system including a borehole in a subsurface formation, a string in the borehole, a pressure compensator disposed within or as a part of the string.

A pressure compensator including a housing, an electroactive polymer (EAP) disposed in the housing and defining a volume therein, the volume being changeable upon application of an electric signal. A method for managing pressure in a tool including applying an electrical signal to the pressure compensator and changing a shape of the EAP to change the volume of the compensator whereby the pressure in the tool is altered. A borehole system including a borehole in a subsurface formation, a string in the borehole, a pressure compensator disposed within or as a part of the string.

This invention relates generally to geotechnical rig systems and methods. In one embodiment, a cone penetration testing system includes, but is not limited to, a frame; at least one rotatable reel; at least one movable roller; and at least one sensor, wherein the at least one movable roller is configured to adjust a bend radius of at least one tube coiled about the at least one rotatable reel based at least partly on data received from the at least one sensor.

An in-situ square sample acquisition device and method for a bond contact test of a surrounding rock and a shotcrete layer are provided, the device includes a supporting shell, a fixing structure, hollow adjusting bolts and two borehole positioning frames, a guide hole is provided in a middle of the supporting shell, the frames are slidably fit in the guide hole, a plurality of positioning holes are provided in side walls of each of the frames, and the positioning holes in different frames are distributed in a staggered manner, four corners of the supporting shell are connected with four hollow adjusting bolts respectively, one end of each of the hollow adjusting bolts is fixedly provided with an adjusting nut, four fixing lugs are provided in four corners of each frame respectively, and the fixing structure includes four connecting bolts and four nuts.

A new system for and a method of deploying a heat exchanger pipe. A bore hole is drilled from an access ditch location to a terminal ditch location using a piloted drill head powered via an umbilical attached to the piloted drill head. A casing is attached to the piloted drill head and disposed about the umbilical into the bore hole from the access ditch location to the terminal ditch location. At the terminal ditch location, the piloted drill head is removed from the casing and the umbilical and a heat exchanger pipe is attached to the umbilical. The umbilical is withdrawn from within the casing deployed in the bore hole to pull the heat exchanger pipe into the casing. The casing is then withdrawn from the bore hole leaving the heat exchanger pipe in the bore hole.

A new system for and a method of deploying a heat exchanger pipe. A bore hole is drilled from an access ditch location to a terminal ditch location using a piloted drill head powered via an umbilical attached to the piloted drill head. A casing is attached to the piloted drill head and disposed about the umbilical into the bore hole from the access ditch location to the terminal ditch location. At the terminal ditch location, the piloted drill head is removed from the casing and the umbilical and a heat exchanger pipe is attached to the umbilical. The umbilical is withdrawn from within the casing deployed in the bore hole to pull the heat exchanger pipe into the casing. The casing is then withdrawn from the bore hole leaving the heat exchanger pipe in the bore hole.

An apparatus for providing communication with a downhole device positioned within a wellbore is provided. The apparatus includes a flexible hose configured to be run into the wellbore during a well intervention process and to provide a fluid communication path from surface into the wellbore. The flexible hose includes at least one communication medium forming at least part of an outer wall thereof. The apparatus further includes a downhole device for positioning within the wellbore and coupled to the communication medium for transference of a signal between the downhole device and the communication medium; and a surface communication unit for communicating data to the downhole device and/or receiving data from the downhole device, wherein the surface communication unit is coupled to the communication medium for transference of a signal between the surface communication unit and the communication medium.