Turbodrill (Kapelyushnikov)
Turbotaladro (Kapeliushnikov)
- Date
- 1923 · confidence medium
- Place
- Baku, Azerbaijan
- Credited to
- Mikhail Kapelyushnikov, with S. M. Volokh and N. A. Korneev (Azneft)
- Field
- Tools
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
A drill bit driven by a hydraulic turbine at the bottom of the hole, powered by drilling mud, without rotating the drill string from the surface. It was patented in Baku and used on an industrial scale in the USSR from 1924.
There are earlier patents for downhole turbines (US, late 19th century) that never reached practical use. Authorship is attributed to Kapelyushnikov (patent of 1922-1923) with collaborators, and details vary among sources.
What it led to
- deep drilling in the USSR and Azerbaijan
- the basis of downhole motors and directional drilling
- oil drilling with fast bits in hard rock