Abstract: Hydraulic drilling apparatus and method suitable for use in a variety of applications including the drilling of deep holes for oil and gas wells and the drilling of vertical, horizontal or slanted holes, drilling through both consolidated and unconsolidated formations, and cutting and removing core samples. The drill head produces a whirling mass of pressurized cutting fluid, and this whirling fluid is applied to a discharge nozzle to produce a high velocity cutting jet. In one embodiment, the fluid is discharged from a central nozzle as a thin wall conical cutting jet, and a plurality of axially directed jets are spaced about the central nozzle for removing material within the circular groove cut by the conical jet. The conical jet can be used without the axially directed jets to cut core samples. In a second embodiment, the discharge nozzle comprises an oblique bore in a rotor which is driven at a relatively slow speed (e.g. 5-50 rpm) by the whirling fluid in the drill head.

Abstract: Hydraulic drilling apparatus and method suitable for use in a variety of applications including the drilling of deep holes for oil and gas wells and the drilling of vertical, horizontal or slanted holes, drilling through both consolidated and unconsolidated formations, and cutting and removing core samples. The drill head produces a whirling mass of pressurized cutting fluid, and this whirling fluid is applied to a discharge nozzle to produce a high velocity cutting jet. The cutting action is enhanced by abrasive material in the drilling fluid. The direction of the borehole is controlled by controlling the discharge of the drilling fluid either in side jets directed radially from the distal end portion of the drill string which carries the drill head or in a plurality of forwardly directed cutting jets.

Abstract: Hydraulic drilling apparatus and method suitable for use in a variety of applications including the drilling of deep holes for oil and gas wells and the drilling of vertical, horizontal or slanted holes, drilling through both consolidated and unconsolidated formations, and cutting and removing core samples. The drill head produces a whirling mass of pressurized cutting fluid, and this whirling fluid is applied to a discharge nozzle to produce a high velocity cutting jet. The cutting action is enhanced by abrasive material in the drilling fluid. The direction of the borehole is controlled by controlling the discharge of the drilling fluid either in side jets directed radially from the distal end portion of the drill string which carries the drill head or in a plurality of forwardly directed cutting jets.

Abstract: Apparatus and a method of adding CO.sub.2 to softened water flowing through a series of interconnected flash chambers after the softened water has been directed out of a settler. The inlet of the settler receives preheated hard water after the hard water has passed through a series of interconnected preheating chambers, there being a preheating chamber for each flash chamber, respectively. Each preheating chamber and the corresponding flash chamber comprise a stage of a multi-stage water softening system, the preheating and flash chambers of each stage being separated by a partition defining an opening near the top portion of the stage to place the respective first and second chambers of each stage in fluid communication with each other and to allow flashed, heated water vapor from the flash chamber to pass into direct, admixing contact with cooler, hard water sprayed into the preheating chamber to preheat the hard water.