Kategoriat
Geomachine | QHeat | Lounavoima
The world’s first 2,000-meter-deep geothermal well drilled for the use of Waste-to-Energy (WtE) plant has been completed at Waste-to-Energy company Lounavoima’s plant in Salo, Finland. The operation of the well is based on the geothermal well solution developed by Quantitative Heat Oy (QHeat) and it was drilled with a GM2000 drill rig developed by Geomachine Oy.
“Geothermal heat is an environmentally friendly and sustainable solution to the world’s growing energy needs,” says Samuli Salmela, CEO of Geomachine Oy. “Since there will be less land available for geothermal wells in the future, the wells must be drilled deeper. One geothermal well drilled to 2,000 meters produces the same amount of energy as some dozens of traditional energy wells, and it is also suitable for heat storage and cooling. Therefore, the solution developed now is suitable e.g. for use on larger construction sites and district heating networks.”
The world’s first GM2000 well drilling rig has been commissioned in Salo, Finland by WtE company Lounavoima’s order. “The operation of the plant generates energy for the district heating network evenly,” QHeat CEO Erika Salmenvaara says. “In the network, however, the heat consumption load changes all the time, so when the consumption is at a low level, the plant has produced excess heat. This energy can now be stored in deep geothermal wells and released from there later as consumption increases. A similar solution has not been used at a waste-to-energy plant before, so we are now the first in the world to implement the project in such an environment. Over the next few years, a total of six wells will be drilled for the Lounavoima waste-to-energy plant.”
In the past, QHeat’s record depth for drilling geothermal wells has been 1,600 meters. The fact that drilling can now be carried out with Geomachine’s GM2000 drilling rig up to 2,000 meters and even beyond, takes the utilization of geothermal energy to a whole new level. “The drilling depth has been increased by a third, which means that the energy production of the well increases more than 60 %. Annually, 950 megawatt-hours were obtained from a 1,500-meter-deep well, and now we obtain 1,530 megawatt-hours from a 2,000-meter deep well,” says Erika Salmenvaara. The numbers are even higher if the energy output of a 2,000-meter-deep well is compared to a traditional 300-meter-deep geothermal well. “Compared to a traditional well, we can now capture up to 60 times more energy from one well than before.”
Geomachine’s geothermal well drilling solution is optimized for down-the-hole drilling in hard Scandinavian rock. Its product development has focused on the overall economy of drilling, the fast drilling progress enabled by DTH technology, automatic recording of drilling data, real-time analysis of the drilling process, and working safety. In addition to the GM2000 well drilling rig, the overall solution includes needed air compressors, drilling accessories and an intelligent control and data logging system for optimizing the drilling process. The solution is also available with electric powerline, which enables a reduction in emissions. The rig’s easy mobility and ramp up also contribute to the overall economic efficiency of drilling. “Thanks to our solution, the driller can monitor the drilling parameters in real time, even though the drilling itself takes place at a depth of hundreds of meters. This reduces equipment breakdowns, speeds up drilling and makes it cost-effective,” says Samuli Salmela, CEO of Geomachine Oy.
The relative share of geothermal heat as the main heat source for buildings has been
growing since the beginning of the 2000s. In the future, the GM2000 solution will especially benefit large real estate sites where the concept can be used as a regional energy source. From one well, there is enough energy to heat even more than three hundred, A energy class 70 m2 apartments.
Geomachine
In 2022, a lot happened in the world of soil investigation. We are especially happy that our customers have diligently taken pictures of their life and also shared them on social media.
This year we want to give our Christmas card in the form of this great photo collection. Vote for your favorite photo in the contest post that can be found on our Facebook page. Of course, fame and honor will be drawn among all those who voted, but also five of the trendiest Geomachine winter hats are given for the lucky ones!
Voting ends on December 31st 2022. Winners will be notified personally.
Merry Christmas and good luck for 2023!
In Kristiansand, Norway, geotechnical soil investigations were recently carried out with fully electric soil investigation equipment by Multiconsult Norge AS. In these investigations, the drilling rig used an electric battery as its power source, probably for the first time in the world.
-According to our knowledge, this is the first time in the world that a geotechnical drilling rig uses a battery as its energy source. We are very happy to now be able to do soil investigation with this method, as it is emission-free and causes much less noise damage to the environment, says Multiconsult’s head of soil investigation, Vidar Baafjord.
Multiconsult’s geotechnical drilling rig, the GM100GT Hybrid, can be connected directly to the building’s electrical network or an electric battery, and it can also run on bio-based fuel. The drilling rig is therefore practically emission-free and thus now functions as a new standard for construction machinery.
The original article can be found here.
PTO Teknikk AS
Geomachine and Norwegian PTO Teknikk AS are deepening their long-standing cooperation. PTO Teknikk AS has been Geomachine’s service partner for years, and will now also be responsible for selling Geomachine equipment in Norway and Iceland.
“It is very important that the customer receives comprehensive service in their own home market, whether it means something related to maintenance of a machine, or the purchase of a new machine or equipment,” says Samuli Salmela, CEO of Geomachine. “Our globalization strategy is to grow through cooperation with strong local professionals in the field of geotechnology.”
PTO Teknikk AS has been Geomachine’s service partner for several years. Now the cooperation is being extended to the sales side as well. “As of July 1, 2022, PTO Teknikk AS is our exclusive sales partner in the Norwegian and Icelandic markets. We are very happy about this as we see a lot of demand for our products in these areas. Our machines are at their best in the very challenging weather, terrain and ground conditions found in the Nordic countries. It’s great to be able to tell Norwegian, and now Icelandic soil investigation professionals more actively, about how we can make their operations more productive with our offering.”
Service for the entire device lifecycle
Investing in machinery is always a big decision for the customer and is significantly affected how economical the machine is in the long run. Therefore, one of the important cornerstones of Geomachine’s service is to provide its customers with expert service and maintenance throughout product’s life cycle.
Thanks to PTO Teknikk AS, maintenance services in Norway have been running smoothly for years. Robin Jensen, CEO of PTO Teknikk AS, is proud of his long partnership with Geomachine. “The machine only produces when it is being used and that is why our role as a service provider is important. We invest heavily in ensuring that Geomachine’s customers always receive the best and most technically high-quality service experience on the market.”
Robin Jensen thinks that expanding cooperation is an important step. “It is great that our cooperation is now deepening and we are therefore able to serve our customers in Norway even better in the future. We believe that it is always an indisputable advantage for the customer to get everything they need easily, from a familiar operator, a one stop shop.
Read more about PTO Teknikk AS here.
GMTracker
Geomachine is launching a data-logging software innovation which can be used to guide field research and collect and share research findings more intelligently than before. The software is the first of its kind in the world.
“Product development work for the data-logging software started with a real customer need,” says Pasi Majakangas, Geomachine Oy’s Director of Digital Business. “Currently, the biggest challenge in field research is the difficulty of collecting and reporting research findings. The GMTracker software we are launching now is the solution to this problem. It is the first in the world to record, process, visualise and transmit findings on the same device. ”
The first development version will be launched at the end of 2021. It can be conveniently accessed during maintenance on old machines as the new software is already included in the factory settings.
Superior features
GMTracker is a solution for work supervision and data storage of the most common soil investigation methods. “The project can be set up in GMTracker even before work starts, which makes actual field research work easier and more efficient,” says Pasi Majakangas. “The versatile measurement parameters of the software, on the other hand, ensure that nothing important goes unnoticed when drilling begins. Depending on the research method, the data-logger monitors, for example, drilling torque, force, reflection, time, rotation and feed rate, and depth. In addition, it can be used to make observational notes about different soil types and events during the investigation. All in all, the data-logger can be used to collect data in a really versatile way. ”
One of the most welcome features of the data-logger is its versatile reporting capabilities. “The driller can now take notes on the progress of the drilling process effortlessly and in real time. Notebooks are no longer needed, as data can be conveniently stored in GMTracker’s visual interface with the click of a button. ”
Even the finest features are useless if they don’t work in real life. “We recommend the Panasonic FZ-A3 as the software terminal. It is the most durable and reliable tablet terminal on the market. This ensures that the software works in even the most challenging weather conditions, such as extreme temperatures and humidity. The tablet can also be used when wearing work gloves, which is important in a real work situation. ”
Customer feedback as a basis for development work
GMTracker has been introduced to Geomachine’s customers in Finland and Norway during its product development phase. According to Pasi Majakangas, drillers and foremen have been very enthusiastic about the data-logger during the presentation phase. “After trying the device, our customers found it speeds up work. It was also considered important that unnecessary evening work was eliminated due to the data-logger’s reporting capabilities. GMTracker’s visual interface was praised for its clarity, ease of use, and logic. ”
The usability of the tablet terminal in construction site conditions concerned the drillers. “Doubts arose as to whether the device would withstand water splashes and frost, for example, or whether the screen would get scratched when wearing work gloves. The device is extremely weatherproof and we can protect the screen from scratches by covering it with a protective film. ”
According to Pasi Majakangas, customer feedback has been extremely important in the product development work of the device. “In designing the software, we have listened carefully to the wishes and opinions of our customers, as it is the only way to develop a tool that truly serves them. We will also test the next development versions together with our customers.”
The story is just beginning
GMTracker is designed as the first step in soil survey data management. In the future, the data generated can also be used to increase the efficiency of mineral exploration, well-drilling, and piling. According to Pasi Majakangas, however, this is just the beginning. “Our idea is that in the future, GMTracker can be used more extensively in Geomachine’s own as well as third-party machines.”
In the future, GMTracker will include even more superior features. “Next, we will develop a map view as well as monitoring the operation of the research machine. After that, we will add support for new methods of data transfer to the software and further develop work processes. The GMTracker of the future will also have more machine intelligence, data collection, reporting, and analysis capabilities. ”
At first, GMTracker will be used in Finland, but soon after that elsewhere as well. “With regard to soil research, we will expand to Sweden and Norway during 2022. These operators have their own research methods and working conditions. We offer customers in these markets versions of the data-logger tailored to their needs. ”
GMTracker software is Geomachine’s main opening for digital services. “The data-logger is the first member of our intelligent innovation product family. In future, we will also offer our customers other technology solutions that will make their work even more efficient, profitable and, high quality.”
Drillma LDA, OMRA Baltic
Growth is strongly embedded in Geomachine’s business strategy and new markets are constantly being conquered. Professional, high-quality resellers play a key role in internationalisation, and Geomachine is constantly looking to expand its network.
The latest additions to our dealer network are the Portuguese Drillma – Materiais e equipamentos de geotecnia LDA and Lithuanian OMRA Baltic.
Geomachine welcomes new dealers!
Find out more:
www.omrabaltic.lt
www.drillma.pt
YLE, 7 July 2020
Right next to central Helsinki, drilling operations got underway in the summer of 2020 to survey the ground and seabed using Geomachine equipment. Ground and seabed surveys were conducted on the shore and sea area in Hakaniemi as part of the Crown Bridges rail line construction, the Hakaniemenranta area and the new Hakaniemi Bridge.
Read the entire Yle article here.
Photograph in the article by: City of Helsinki
Konepörssi, 25 January 2021
Geomachine Oy has delivered the world’s first electrically-propelled drilling rig for soil investigation to Multiconsult Ab in Norway. In addition to a diesel engine, the rig is equipped with an electric motor that can be used to move it as well as perform drilling operations.
Read the entire article in the Konepörssi magazine here.
Norwegian TU Building has also published a story about the Geomachine Hybrid rig. The article can be found here.
Poratek News / 2020
Poratek, an umbrella organisation for well drilling professionals, publishes the industry’s most interesting news in its annual magazine, Poratek News. The magazine is directed at Poratek’s and the well drilling industry’s interest groups in the corporate and public sectors. Geomachine well drilling rigs and compressors received plenty of column space in the 2020 issue.
Read the entire Poratek article here.
lannen.com 26.2.2021
Geotechnics and environmental research specialists Taratest Ltd, has been using Geomachine drilling rigs for a long time. With a need for a machine that can move smoothly along the rail network, Taratest acquired a multipurpose Lännen 8800M and fitted it with a Geomachine boom. The GM drill boom is connected to the backhoe and is able to take surveys efficiently at sites where, among other things, the machine’s good reach, ability to move quickly and stability are highly valued.
Read the entire article here.