Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory report LA-4547: Preliminary study of the nuclear subterrene:
Initial Field Tests. It has already been demonstrated that a melting penetrator can produce holes in rocks at usefully high rates and with moderate energy consumption. A gasoline-driven, 300-hp generator can produce the electrical energy required to melt a hole 25 cm in diameter through igneous rock at 100 m/day.
Is this Musk's Glomar Explorer?
There is now a hole in our parking lot. I wish there was something less "boring" to report. Maybe they will find a mammoth.
Quote from: su27k on 01/30/2017 05:11 pmLos Alamos Scientific Laboratory report LA-4547: Preliminary study of the nuclear subterrene:Interesting quote from that article.QuoteInitial Field Tests. It has already been demonstrated that a melting penetrator can produce holes in rocks at usefully high rates and with moderate energy consumption. A gasoline-driven, 300-hp generator can produce the electrical energy required to melt a hole 25 cm in diameter through igneous rock at 100 m/day.Using a conversion rate of 1 hp = 740 watts (and assuming a perfectly efficient gasoline generator), the power required is 224 kW. According to the article, igneous rock melts at around 1,200 degrees Celsius.Edit: Boring a 15-meter diameter tunnel, such as would be needed for autos, would require an entire electric plant's worth of power. But a 2.23-meter diameter tunnel for a hyperloop might be more doable. The power requirements seem to place it off limits for near-term Mars tunnel boring, at least for creating habitats.I guess they could try doing it using more than one tunnel boring machine in succession to break down the power requirements into more manageable chunks.
The city father's must be in on it, or part of it. Has anyone checked the Hawthorne permits site? Is there one?
Perhaps he is thinking of using different alloys in order to make stronger drill bits, etc.
Interesting quote from that article.Using a conversion rate of 1 hp = 740 watts (and assuming a perfectly efficient gasoline generator), the power required is 224 kW. According to the article, igneous rock melts at around 1,200 degrees Celsius.Edit: Boring a 15-meter diameter tunnel, such as would be needed for autos, would require an entire electric plant's worth of power. But a 2.23-meter diameter tunnel for a hyperloop might be more doable. The power requirements seem to place it off limits for near-term Mars tunnel boring, at least for creating habitats.I guess they could try doing it using more than one tunnel boring machine in succession to break down the power requirements into more manageable chunks.
Quote from: RedLineTrain on 01/31/2017 03:56 pmPerhaps he is thinking of using different alloys in order to make stronger drill bits, etc.That would be low-hanging fruit, unlikely that current TBM manufacturers haven't thought of that.
Note the subterrene's strategy was just to melt the edge of cylinder, then either crush the (greatly) weakened cylinder of rock with conventional cutters or multiple hot "spikes" to crack hard rock with thermal shock.
Quote from: john smith 19 on 01/31/2017 06:04 pmNote the subterrene's strategy was just to melt the edge of cylinder, then either crush the (greatly) weakened cylinder of rock with conventional cutters or multiple hot "spikes" to crack hard rock with thermal shock.Only initially. The proposal in the paper was to melt the entire rock face and create a tube via lithofracturing that would eliminate the need for getting rid of waste materials.
Where would all the volume of rock go?
The principle of lithofracture is to inject the melt into fissures and cracks in the surrounding rock wall
Quote from: meekGee on 01/31/2017 08:08 pmWhere would all the volume of rock go?From a random textbook...Quote from: A. Roberts, Applied Geotechnology, 1981The principle of lithofracture is to inject the melt into fissures and cracks in the surrounding rock wallIf there are not enough fissures and cracks, then you create them using techniques honed long ago in the oil and gas industry.