At HPE, research is performed on Plasma Pulse Geo Drilling (PPGD)
as a potential alternative to traditional mechanical drilling for harnessing
geothermal energy in large depths (up to 10 km). PPGD technology
is based on applying high voltage (several hundreds of kV) electrical discharges
to rocks. These discharges create a plasma channel inside the rock
that effectively fragments the rock.
A high voltage pulse generator must be positioned near the drilling electrodes
for applying those discharges to the rock. Therefore, the generator
must be compact to fit inside the drilling hole. A Tesla transformer is a
possible interesting option for generating the required high voltage pulses.
In this project, you will use analytical as well as FEM models to optimise a
Tesla transformer to meet the size and efficacy constraints of the project.
At the end, you will present a possible design solution. In case of a master
thesis, a virtual prototype can be designed.
At HPE, research is performed on Plasma Pulse Geo Drilling (PPGD) as a potential alternative to traditional mechanical drilling for harnessing geothermal energy in large depths (up to 10 km). PPGD technology is based on applying high voltage (several hundreds of kV) electrical discharges to rocks. These discharges create a plasma channel inside the rock that effectively fragments the rock. A high voltage pulse generator must be positioned near the drilling electrodes for applying those discharges to the rock. Therefore, the generator must be compact to fit inside the drilling hole. A Tesla transformer is a possible interesting option for generating the required high voltage pulses. In this project, you will use analytical as well as FEM models to optimise a Tesla transformer to meet the size and efficacy constraints of the project. At the end, you will present a possible design solution. In case of a master thesis, a virtual prototype can be designed.
SAMA_2025_HS_Martins_Tesla_Transformer_old.pdf
