Agile Sub-Ice Geological Drill

The Agile Sub-Ice Geological (ASIG) Drill was the first sub-glacial access rock coring drill in the IDP inventory. The drill system design is based on a commercially-available minerals exploration rig, which IDP adapted for drilling through ice and for ice coring. The system is designed to drill access holes through ice less than 700 meters thick and subsequently collect bedrock cores from beneath glaciers.

A minerals exploration rig was purchased from Multi-Power Products Ltd., and IDP designed auxiliary systems for fluid handling. In 2016, IDP conducted an extensive North American Test of the complete system just outside of Madison, WI. The drill system was deployed to Pirrit Hills, Antarctica for the 2016-2017 field season where it was successfully used to drill through approximately 150 meters of ice and collected 8 meters of 39 mm (1.5-inch) diameter excellent quality rock core. Nearly 5 meters of ice core was also collected near the ice-bedrock transition, however, the core quality was poor.

In preparation for a project in northern Greenland beginning in 2023, IDP engineers have completed necessary modifications and upgrades to the system that were postponed following the 2016-2017 deployment to Antarctica. In 2019, IDP engineers completed air drop testing to quantify parameters that may create a hydrofracking situation in ice. A pressure relief valve has been implemented to prevent system and borehole damage in such situations. A shaker table has been implemented for separating ice chips and drill fluid, and engine maintenance was completed. A longer wireline cable was procured and spooled in 2022 to allow for collection of cores through the inside of the drill pipe down to 600 m depth. The Operations and Maintenance Manual for the drill system has been updated to reflect the latest modifications. The system will be shipped in two 20-foot shipping containers to Greenland in June 2022.

The ASIG Drill is much less logistically intensive than the Rapid Access Ice Drill (RAID) deep drilling system developed by the University of Minnesota Duluth.

For information on another sub-glacial rock coring drill in the IDP inventory, see the Winkie Drill.