Patent attributes
A bulk material drilling system is described, the drilling system arranged to allow accurate directional control of a drill bit through bulk material via non-mechanical means, while providing real-time feedback on drill bit positioning. A drilling system (22) comprising; a bulk material drill bit (10) having; a sensing portion (18), one or more ports (16) for discharging output energy, the drilling system further comprising; an input portion (30) arranged to detect input parameters from the sensing portion, a controller (32) arranged to control output energy to the port; wherein the controller is further arranged to determine one or more ports to which the output energy is provided; wherein the controller is further arranged to control the discharge of the output energy; wherein the output energy discharge is non-uniformly applied to bulk material; wherein the discharge of the output energy is used to control the drill bit direction. The invention aims to prevent mechanical wear while providing effective steering of a drill bit through bulk material.
