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Millimetre-wave drilling

by Quaise EnergyUS

ProtoStage 2 of 5

Field tests of beam drilling are underway; it hasn't yet drilled to commercial depths.

Updated 18d agoChecked 25 Sep0 updates this week

Milestones

Next · Drill to kilometre-scale depth with mm-waves
  1. Lab demonstrations of rock vaporisation at MIT2021Complete.
  2. Field drilling system tests in Texas2024Complete.
  3. Drill to kilometre-scale depth with mm-wavesNowCurrent milestone.

Most important updates

  • 18d ago
  • 27 Aug 2026
  • 13 Apr 2026
  • Feb 2025

Upcoming

  1. 2030Project Obsidian in central Oregon targets first superhot geothermal power (next)

Current obstacles

  • Clearing vaporised rockRock vapour cools into glassy bits that must be cleared from a deep, hot hole without blocking the beam.

Physics limits

  • Vaporising rock costs a lot of energyMelting and boiling rock takes far more energy than crushing it, so drilling speed is set by beam power: going twice as fast needs roughly twice the megawatts.
  • Rock vapour blocks the beamVaporised rock condenses into fine particles that absorb and scatter the beam; it must be flushed out continuously, harder as the hole gets deeper.
  • Supercritical water attacks equipmentAbove 374 °C and 22 MPa, water dissolves silica and corrodes steel far faster, so well casings, pipes and turbines face harsh chemistry.

How it works

4 parts
Gyrotrons from the Wendelstein 7-X fusion lab: the same kind of microwave source Quaise pipes down the hole to melt rock
Gyrotrons from the Wendelstein 7-X fusion lab: the same kind of microwave source Quaise pipes down the hole to melt rockPhoto: I2ho7p · CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens commons.wikimedia.org)
Beam

A fusion-lab microwave source

A gyrotron, built to heat fusion plasmas, makes a powerful beam of millimetre-wavelength microwaves.

Waveguide

Piped down the hole

The beam travels down a hollow metal tube to the rock face with little loss, so no bit, motor or electronics sit at the bottom.

Vaporise

Melting and boiling rock

The beam heats rock past 3,000 °C until it melts and vaporises; gas flushes the vapour out and the melt leaves a glassy lining on the wall.

Target

Superhot rock

The aim is rock above 374 °C, where water turns supercritical and each well carries several times more energy than today's geothermal wells.

Update log

4 updates

Tue 22 Sep

  • Minor: PressFunding

Thu 27 Aug

  • Major: PressFunding

Mon 13 Apr

  • Major: BlogCommercial

Feb 2025

  • Minor: BlogTest

About Quaise Energy

The team behind Millimetre-wave drilling

Quaise Energy

Millimetre-wave drilling, superhot geothermal

MIT spinout that drills by vaporising rock with millimetre-wave beams from gyrotrons, a fusion technology. The aim is 'superhot' rock above 374 °C, where water carries far more energy per well.

  • Builds on MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center research by Paul Woskov.
  • Uses normal drilling through the softer top layers, then beams to vaporise deep, hard rock.
  • Tests moved from the lab to outdoor rigs in Texas in 2024-2025.

quaise.energy (opens quaise.energy)Company profile →

Founded
20188 yrs
Headquarters
United States
Status
Private
Valuation
private
Works in
EnergyGeothermal
Coverage
1 program · 4 updateslatest 18d agochecked 25 Sep
People
Carlos Araque (opens quaise.com)Co-founder & CEO
Primer