4-Inch Drill

Description

The 4-Inch Drill is an electromechanical ice coring drill that takes a 104 mm (4-inch) diameter core. Cores can be retrieved from depths to approximately 400 meters. Winches with 100-, 200-, and 400-meter cables are available. The drill is of a mature design and has been used successfully for several decades. It is particularly useful on projects requiring a larger diameter core than produced by the Badger-Eclipse or Foro 400 drills. Depending on configuration, the drill can be transported by light aircraft or helicopter.

The 4-Inch Drill was used at Law Dome Antarctica during the 2018-2019 season and with the Rapid Access Ice Drill (RAID) project near Minna Bluff, Antarctica during the 2019-2020 season. Two 4-Inch Drill winches and a tower were also deployed to Thwaites Glacier during 2019-2020 for use by a science team for instrument installation in a hot water hole. A 4-Inch Drill is currently being used with the GreenDrill project in Greenland for drilling pilot holes and for bailing fluid from the ASIG Drill holes.

IDP currently has two 4-Inch Drill systems ready for issue. A new set of core barrels was fabricated with flight geometry similar to that of the Foro drills. The barrels were tested during the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 Antarctic field seasons. To meet continued demand for a drill of this type, IDP has designed and fabricated a drill known as the Foro 400 Drill. A 4-Inch Drill system will still be maintained; however, the Foro 400 Drill offers new capabilities and substantial weight savings. A new chips bailer was designed for use with the 4-Inch Drill system in 2019 for clearing cuttings from pilot holes drilled by ASIG Drill augers. The bailer was successfully tested in holes augered with the RAID system during the third Antarctic Field Trial (AFT-3) at Minna Bluff during the 2019-2020 field season. In late 2020, new winch crates were implemented, and the readout and control boxes were re-calibrated.

An electrothermal version of this drill, which melts an annulus around the core, can be substituted for use in ice warmer than -10° C. Both versions use core dogs to break the core off and hold it for retrieval.

Equipment Details

Name 4-Inch Drill
Type
Type
Ice coring
Number in Inventory
Number in Inventory
2
Max. Practical Depth
Max. Practical Depth
300-350 m
Hole Diameter
Hole Diameter
145 mm (5.7 inches)
Ice Core Diameter
Ice Core Diameter
104 mm (4 inches)
Ice Core Length
Ice Core Length
1 m
IDP Driller Required?
IDP Driller Required?
Yes, 1 driller (2 people required for drill operation)
Drill Fluid Required?
Drill Fluid Required?
No
Power Requirements/Source
Power Requirements/Source
220 V, 5 kW generator
Estimated Drilling Time
Estimated Drilling Time

100 m - 30 hours
150 m - 50 hours
200 m - 75 hours

Time to Move (breakdown and setup)
Time to Move (breakdown and setup)
6 hours
Helicopter Transportable?
Helicopter Transportable?
Yes
Light Aircraft Transportable?
Light Aircraft Transportable?
Yes
Shipping Weight
Shipping Weight

2600 lbs

Shipping Volume (Cube)
Shipping Cube

146

Comments
Comments

Complete unit operating is ~1000 lbs. Heaviest component is winch (on sled) at ~500 lbs.

Documents

Citation Year
U.S. Ice Drilling Program (2019) 4-Inch Drill Operations and Maintenance Manual. 1-40. 2019

Photos

Project History

2019-2020 Antarctic - Thwaites-Amundsen Regional Survey and Network (TARSAN)
2019-2020 Antarctic - RAID Antarctic Field Trial (AFT) 3
2018-2019 Antarctic - Reconstructing Carbon-14 of Atmospheric Carbon Monoxide from Law Dome, Antarctica, to Constrain Long-Term Hydroxyl Radical Variability
2017-2018 Antarctic - Minna Bluff Firn Core and Firn Air Sampling
2016-2017 Antarctic - Characterization of Upstream Ice and Firn Dynamics affecting the South Pole Ice Core
2015-2016 Antarctic - RAID/ASIG Packer Test
2013 Arctic - Greenland: Greenland Aerosols and Methane Records
2011 Arctic - Greenland: Greenland Ice Sheet Monitoring Network
2011 Arctic - Greenland: Greenland Ice Sheet Snow Accumulation Variability
2010 Arctic - Greenland: Summit Firn Air Cooling Feasibility Study
2010 Arctic - Greenland: Understanding the Physical Properties of Northern Greenland Near-Surface Snow

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