초록 ▼

A device for laser drilling, having: (a) a laser module (310), having a plurality of laser subsystems (200), each one of the laser subsystems (200) having an active optical fiber (240), wound in a shape of hollow coil and packaged inside a hollow cylindrical box (210), and at least one diode laser (

A device for laser drilling, having: (a) a laser module (310), having a plurality of laser subsystems (200), each one of the laser subsystems (200) having an active optical fiber (240), wound in a shape of hollow coil and packaged inside a hollow cylindrical box (210), and at least one diode laser (220) mechanically connected perpendicularly to the hollow cylindrical box (210) and optically coupled to the core of the active optical fiber (240) wound and packaged inside the hollow cylindrical box (210), the laser module (310) having a tubular shape allowing cooling and drilling fluids to flow through the concentric hollow cores of the tubular laser module (310) and of the cylindrical box (210); and (b) an optical drill head (100), the optical drill head having an end (130) with orifices (110 and 120), and a body (140).

대표청구항 ▼

1. A device for laser drilling, comprising: a) a laser module (310), comprised of a plurality of laser subsystems (200), each one of the laser subsystems (200) comprising an active optical fiber (240) having a core, wound in a shape of a hollow coil and packaged inside a hollow cylindrical box (210)

1. A device for laser drilling, comprising: a) a laser module (310), comprised of a plurality of laser subsystems (200), each one of the laser subsystems (200) comprising an active optical fiber (240) having a core, wound in a shape of a hollow coil and packaged inside a hollow cylindrical box (210), and at least one diode laser (220) mechanically connected perpendicularly to the hollow cylindrical box (210) and optically coupled to the core of the active optical fiber (240) wound and packaged inside the hollow cylindrical box (210), the laser module (310) having a tubular shape allowing cooling and drilling fluids to flow through a hollow inner space of the tubular laser module (310) and of the cylindrical box (210); andb) an optical drill head (100), the optical drill head comprising an end (130) with orifices (110 and 120), and a body (140),wherein:i) the laser module is responsible for high intensity light generation that, through optical fibers (320), is guided to the optical drill head (100);ii) the laser module and the optical drill head (100) are coupled to a drill string;iii) the orifices (110) are those through which high-power laser light leaves the optical drill head (100); andiv) the orifices (120) allow the exit of the cooling and drilling fluids that flow through the hollow inner space of the tubular laser module (310) and through the optical drill head (100). 2. The device for laser drilling according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of laser subsystems (200) have geometrical features that allow the plurality of laser subsystems (200) to be packaged in pairs, one on top of another, inside the tubular core of the tubular laser module (310). 3. The laser drilling device according to claim 1, wherein the end (130) of the optical drill head (100) has any geometrical shape. 4. The laser drilling device according to claim 1, wherein the end (130) of the optical drill head (100) has a spherical shape. 5. The laser drilling device according to claim 4, wherein the end (130) of the optical drill head (100) is constructed having a maximum angle of operation that controls the inclination that the well or wellbore can be drilled. 6. The laser drilling device according to claim 5, wherein the maximum angle of operation has its vertex (131) at the geometrical center of the spherical drill head end (130) and is formed by imaginary lines crossing this center, one (132) perpendicular to the symmetry axis (101) of the drill head and the other (133) aligned with the center of a cylindrical orifice (111) where a light beam leaves the drill head (100) end (130) at the direction that makes the maximum angle with the drill head (100) end (130) symmetry axis (101). 7. The laser drilling device according to claim 5, further comprising providing steering control of the drilling process, wherein the steering control is provided by the chosen shape of the end (130) of the optical drill head (100), wherein the angle that defines the maximum angle of operation of said drill head establishes the inclination (102) that can be reached for the drilled borehole. 8. The laser drilling device according to claim 1, further comprising providing, for each point of interaction between the laser light that leaves the optical drill head (100) end (130) and the rock surface to be drilled, one of the optical fibers (320) supplying beams of high intensity laser light. 9. The laser drilling device according to claim 1, wherein each of the optical fibers (320) guiding light from the laser module (310) to the optical drill head (100) is associated with at least one of the plurality of laser subsystems (200) whose emitted light has a suitable power level to drill the rock formation. 10. The laser drilling device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of laser subsystems (200) that provide high power light for the drilling process are embedded the tubular laser module (310), and the tubular laser module (310) has an outer diameter equal to that of a standard drill pipe. 11. The laser drilling device according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of laser subsystems (200) is individually controlled and selectively turned on or off, or have their optical power output increased or decreased, and, through the optical fibers (320) that guide high intensity light from the plurality of laser subsystems (200) to the optical drill head (100) end (130), illuminate specific areas of the rock formation (140) surrounding the laser drilling device, thus enabling the control of the inclination of the drilled borehole. 12. The laser drilling device according to claim 1, wherein the orifices (110) are channels through which high intensity light beams leave the optical drill head (100) end (130) and where the optical fibers (320) or a bundle of the optical fibers (320) that guide light from the plurality of laser subsystems (200) are connected to the drill head (100) end (130) through an optical connector and lenses system (340), while the orifices (120) are open to allow the outlet of drilling and cooling fluids, which flow through the drill string (410) and the laser drilling device (300) towards the rock surface to be drilled. 13. The laser drilling device according to claim 1, wherein each of the orifices (110) wherein the optical fibers (320) or a bundle of the optical fibers (320) are fixed and light beams leave the end (130) of the optical drill head (100) through an optical connector and lens system (340) that has a center axis oriented along a radial direction that crosses the geometric center (131) of the spherical end (130) of the optical drill head (100), thus ensuring that light beams leaving the device focus perpendicularly to the surrounding rock surface (140) to be drilled. 14. The laser drilling device according to claim 1, wherein the number of the orifices (110) where the optical fibers (320) or bundles of the optical fibers (320) are fixed and light beams leave the end (130) of the optical drill head (100) through an optical connector and lenses system (340) is determined by considering the area of rock surface that can be individually drilled by each of the optical fibers (320) or the bundles of the optical fibers (320) and the required superposition and combination of the individual light beams in order to illuminate and drill the whole area of rock (140) surrounding the end (130) of the optical drill head (100). 15. The laser drilling device according to claim 1, wherein the optical drill head (100) is a mechanical component, wherein: i) the optical fibers (320) that guide high power laser light generated at the laser module (310) are connected to optical connectors and lenses systems (340) fixed on the end (130);ii) the end (130) of the optical drill head (100) has a shape that provides for geometrical control and selectivity of the optical drill head (100) relative to the direction and areas of the surrounding rock (140) being illuminated by the laser light; andiii) the optical drill head (100) promotes the interface of said laser drilling device (300) with the rock formation to be drilled (140). 16. The laser drilling device according to claim 1, wherein the mechanical and optical connection of the at least one diode laser (220) to the active optical fiber (240) wound in the hollow cylindrical box (210) are effected by optimizing the inner space the tubular laser module (310) in order to allow the flow of the cooling and drilling fluids through the inner space of the tubular laser module (310) and to intensify thermal dissipation of heat generated by the thermo-optical conversion process occurring in the at least one diode laser (220). 17. The laser drilling device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one diode laser (220) is connected directly to the optical fibers (320) that guide the light from the laser module (310) to the optical drill head (100), eliminating the use of the active optical fiber in the plurality of laser subsystems (200).