Epiroc Rock Drills Aktiebolag

Harald Merkel

Erik Jakobsson

A pulsed power drilling tool configured for passing a pulsed electrical current through a mineral substrate to break the mineral substrate, the drilling tool including: a pulsed power generator for generating high voltage current pulses, a drill head including at least one pair of a first electrode and a second electrode, the first electrode including a first solid electrode portion and the second electrode including a second solid electrode portion, the first and second solid electrode portions being galvanically connectable to the pulsed power generator, and at least one ionization device configured for generating at least one ionized fluid volume extending at least from the first solid electrode portion to a surface of the mineral substrate, to allow a high voltage current pulse to pass between the first solid electrode portion and the second solid electrode portion via the at least one ionized fluid volume and the mineral substrate.

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Örebro, Sweden

Harald Merkel