Technological advancements are ever-evolving and tremendously updating the modern day industrialization and development. Oil and Gas industry is extensively dependent on use of technology and utilizes series of engineering advancements for constant progression. Incurring these engineering advancements in the field of Oil & Gas is the need of the hour to the make the industry more productive and robust. One such technology is Laser, which brings in the scope of use of laser for optimization of drilling processes.
The term LASER stands for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Laser drilling is an advanced drilling technology which incorporates the use of high powered lasers for cutting and drilling through the conventional formations. It is used because it reduces the primary cost and time of drilling thereby, increasing the overall drilling efficiency. The main advantages of using laser drilling are:
- Increasing Rate of Penetration (ROP)
- Reducing trip time and an increased bit life
- Lesser dependence on parameters such as weight on bit, mud circulation rate, rotary speed and bit design
- Accurate and precise drilling since lasers travel in a straight line and problems like dog legging etc. are completely eliminated
- Providing enhanced well control, perforating and side-tracking capabilities
- Single diameter bore hole
- Achieving breakthroughs with environmentally attractive, safe and cost effective technology etc.
The tremendous growth in exploration and drilling activities across the globe marks a substantial growth in Laser Drilling Market. The Market had an estimated worth of XX Billion dollars in 2016, and is growing at a steady rate of XX% every year. Our extensive and in-depth analysis concludes that the market is booming and suggests that it will eventually reach an approximated net worth of xx billion dollars by 2028.
Technology and service overview:
The primary principle of research in the science of laser drilling is based on using a laser to vaporize the rock.Recent tests have also proven laser drilling as the most efficient compared to other currently used rock removal techniques.
Laser emitted high energy light radiations can be focused to form intense high powered beams which can be used to fragment, melt or vaporize rocks depending on the input power, type of laser, adjusted focal length and interaction characteristics of the laser with the particular rock type. The other major laser parameters include discharge method (pulsed or continuous), wavelength, exposed time, pulse width, repetition rate, average power and peak power. These parameters determine the effective energy transfer to the rock.
Various types of laser technologies are present and they are separated on the basis of their sources and technology of production, which are as follows:
- Gas lasers
- Dye lasers
- Metal-vapour lasers
- Solid-state lasers
- Semi-conductor lasers
- Free-Electron lasers
- Nuclear pumped lasers etc.
However, researches show that only some particular types of laser can be used under the conditions of sub surface drilling operations. Some of them are:
- Deuterium Fluoride (DF)/Hydrogen Fluoride (HF)
- Free-Electron Laser (FEL)
- Chemical Oxygen-Iodine Laser (COIL)
- Carbon Dioxide Laser (CO2)
- Carbon Monoxide Laser (CO)
- Neodymium: Yttrium Aluminum Garnet (Nd:YAG)
- Krypton Fluoride Excimer Laser (KrF) etc.
The main problem encountered in the present day scenario that prevents the commercial sole use of lasers for drilling is the size of extremely high powered lasers. Therefore, until compact lasers with enough power to vaporize the entire rock mass can be commercially manufactured, a Laser-Mechanical bit can be used.
Primarily, the basic rock removal/disintegration mechanisms are as follows:
- Melting and vaporization which take place when the rock is subjected to temperatures above its melting point
- Thermal spalling which occurs due to heating of the rock surface rapidly producing high amount of stresses which exceed the strength of the rock
- Mechanical breakage which is brought about by mechanically drilling the rock
- Chemical reactions which occurs when chemicals are used that dissolve the rocks.
Thorough and comprehensive analysis of complete Laser drilling process, technology, advancements, procedure, along with equipments used, is provided in the report.
The market is primarily driven by increase in development and research of newer technologies in the field of drilling and exploration in the industry, need of more cost-efficient and effective drilling methods, need of drilling methods that provide enhanced well control etc. However, the large size of high powered lasers, traditional equipment compatibility constraints and still in-development phase of technology etc. pose a challenge for the market growth.Furthermore,the contemporary use of semi laser-mechanical bits, along with increasing research and development of compact laser and tools, marks a tremendous growth opportunity in the laser drilling market in the coming years.
Comprehensive competitive analysis and profiles of major market players such as JK lasers, Resonetics, Laserage Technology Corporation, EDAC Technologies Corporation, Scantech Laser Pvt. Ltd, Lenox Laser etc. is also provided in the report.