Colombian Graduate Wins a US Patent for a Smarter Deep-Drilling Power System

Deep underground, drilling tools cannot plug into anything. They must generate electricity on their own, while surviving heat, pressure, vibration, and drilling mud that never stops moving. However, a Colombian drilling power patent can change that.

In 2025, a Colombian engineer added a clever fix to that world. Juan Jose Jaramillo Velez, trained at UNAL’s Faculty of Mines, earned a third U.S. patent for a design that keeps downhole power systems running longer.

The problem hiding in the mud

Deep drilling uses sensors and measurement tools that need steady power. Since surface electricity is not practical at those depths, systems rely on turbines and alternators inside the drilling assembly.

The turbine spins because drilling mud is pumped through the well. That mud is a carefully controlled fluid; it helps cool the system while also carrying cuttings back to the surface.​

But drilling mud can also carry metallic particles. When those particles are attracted to alternator magnets, they can collect in critical areas, create blockages, and trigger failures that are tough to fix once everything is kilometers below ground.​

A magnetic ‘traffic director’

The patented solution did not try to remove mud from the system. Instead, it focused on controlling where metallic particles end up, using magnetic fields to guide them away from the most sensitive zones.

Think of it like adding guardrails inside a machine. The goal is not to stop particles from moving, but to keep them from gathering where they can choke the generator or reduce performance.

This matters because downhole failures are expensive and slow. Preventing a jam is often far more valuable than repairing one, especially when the tool is already deep inside a well and time is money.

CFD explained without pain

To design the fix, the work relied on Computational Fluid Dynamics, better known as CFD. CFD uses computers to simulate how fluids flow and how they interact with surfaces, instead of testing every idea with physical prototypes.​

A simple way to picture CFD is a virtual test bench. Engineers build a digital model of the system, then run calculations that predict what the fluid will do inside tight, complex spaces.​

In this case, simulations helped model both drilling mud flow and particle paths inside the turbine system. That made it possible to place extra magnetic fields with purpose, not guesswork, improving reliability in harsh conditions.​

A Colombian career with global reach

Jaramillo also studied abroad, completing a master’s degree in mechanical engineering and control at the University of North Carolina, in the U.S.

He has more than 17 years of experience in the energy sector, including time at Schlumberger, a company known for supplying technology and services for upstream oil and gas operations.​

The patent was granted in the United States, which the engineer viewed as a strong legal environment for protecting complex technologies. Depending on business plans, the protection can be extended to other markets as well.

Why patents still matter in oil tech

Even in an era of energy transition, oil and gas operations still depend on advanced engineering. A small improvement that reduces downtime can save major costs at scale and can lower operational risk in demanding wells.

Patents play a strategic role in that world. Companies often protect narrow technical advantages because a “tiny” edge, like fewer blockages in a generator, can mean better performance and fewer tool failures across many projects.

This story also shows how innovation often looks in real life. It is not always a new gadget everyone can see; sometimes it is a smarter design choice inside a tool, built to survive conditions most people never think about.

Small fix, big consequence

From UNAL classrooms to a U.S. patent, the path here was very engineering-like: Find a stubborn failure, model it, and design a fix that works under pressure. That approach turned one messy problem into a protectable solution.

If the design delivers what it promises, it will help drilling tools run longer and fail less often. It will also highlight something Colombia does well: Training engineers who can compete in global, high-stakes technology spaces.