BASE (Basal Access and Subglacial Exploration) Drill

Through iterative discussion between IDP and science community members, it has become clear that the drills in IDP inventory for retrieving rock cores from under 100 m and under 700 m of glacial ice are not optimal logistically for retrieving cores from under 200 m of ice, which is an important depth for understanding the first two feet of estimated sea level rise from current melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet. In PY 2022, IDP reviewed potential solutions and discussed with NSF the purchase and modification of a commercially available rock coring rig that is optimized for depths up to 200 m. With community enthusiasm and NSF support from both the Arctic and Antarctic sections, IDP was given approval in February 2022 to pursue the purchase of a 200 m rock coring rig.

Current Status

IDP worked with University of Wisconsin Purchasing Services in summer 2022 to release a Request For Proposal (RFP) solicitation to rock coring drill vendors. A vendor was selected and a purchase order was submitted in early March 2023. IDP will work closely with vendor Multi-Power Products Ltd. as they work to modify a commercial rig to meet IDP operational, polar and logistics requirements. IDP engineers will review and approve the Conceptual Design from Multi-Power, and will sign off on the final design before the start of fabrication. IDP will also conduct monthly virtual meetings with Multi-Power through fabrication or project completion. Prior to shipment of the drill rig from Kelowna, BC, Canada, IDP engineers will visit the manufacturer to inspect all requirements and specifications such as weight have been met. In conjunction with commercial fabrication of the primary rig, IDP engineers will design and fabricate auxiliary systems and components for drilling through ice, similar to equipment used with the ASIG Drill, such as an electronic pressure relief valve and equipment for processing ice chips and drilling fluid. IDP will also specify and procure all downhole tooling.