4 ms·
I don't think TBMs (tunnel boring machines) have the same problems as mechanical deep-well drills. For instance, you can replace worn components of a TBM witho
by TheDudeMan 2y ago
I don't think TBMs (tunnel boring machines) have the same problems as mechanical deep-well drills. For instance, you can replace worn components of a TBM without extracting the entire mechanism from 100s of meters of earth. Whereas vaporizing a 10-meter wide tunnel would require an insane amount of energy. Plus you'd have to deal with the slag trying to flow back toward your equipment.
- sfink 2y agoIt sounds like by default the slag is in the form of ash. That's actually the main advantage I was thinking of; current long tunnels require mixing it with water to make muck and transporting it all the way back out. I don't know if they ever lift it out via vertical or angled dumping tubes? Seems like a pain. And then getting the muck out interferes with getting the tunnel lining in. The muck is far from homogeneous, so it's difficult to deal with.