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Equipment Comparison

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  1. Home
  2. Equipment
  3. Equipment Comparison

Equipment Comparison

  • Hand Augers
  • Agile Ice Coring
  • Intermediate or Deep Ice Coring
  • Rock, Mixed Ice/Rock Coring
  • Non-Coring
  • Borehole Logging

 

Hand Augers

Name Hand Auger, IDDO Hand Auger, Kovacs Hand Auger, SIPRE Prairie Dog Drill Sidewinder Power Drive
Type Ice coring Ice coring Ice coring Ice coring Power unit for hand augers
Max. Practical Depth 20 m (30-40 m with Sidewinder) 20 m (30-40 m with Sidewinder) 6 m 30 m 40 m
Hole Diameter
  • 110 mm (4.3-inches)
  • 132 mm (5.2-inches)
  • 120 mm (4.7-inches)
  • 141 mm (5.6 inches)
  • [NA]
Ice Core Diameter
  • 79 mm (3.1-inches)
  • 101 mm (4.0-inches)
  • 90 mm (3.54-inches)
  • 140 mm (5.5-inches)
  • 76 mm (3-inches)
  • 98 mm (3.9 inches)
  • [NA]
Ice Core Length up to 1 m up to 1 m 0.5 m 1 m [NA]
IDP Driller Required? No No No Yes, 1 driller No (while 1 person can operate the Sidewinder, a 2-person crew helps share the labor and speeds up the cycle time)
Drill Fluid Required? No No No No
Trench Required?

No

No

No

No

No

Power Requirements/Source Hand-powered or Sidewinder Hand-powered or Sidewinder Hand-powered or Stihl BT121 powerhead Hand-powered; 2 kW generator or solar cells if using the Sidewinder 2 kW generator or solar cells
Estimated Drilling Time

5 m - 2 hours
10 m - 4 hours
20 m - 7 hours

5 m - 2 hours
10 m - 4 hours
20 m - 7 hours

6 m - 2 hours

5 m - 2 hours
10 m - 3 hours
20 m - 6 hours
30 m - 9 hours

5 m - 2 hours
10 m - 3 hours
20 m - 5 hours
30 m - 8 hours
40 m - 12 hours

Time to Move (breakdown and setup) <1 hour <1 hour 15 minutes <1 hour
Helicopter Transportable? Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Light Aircraft Transportable? Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Shipping Weight

90 lbs for 20 meter kit

85 lbs for 6 meter kit

100 lbs

180 lbs

Shipping Cube

6

 

    6

    6

    6 (does not include generator or hand auger)

    Comments

    Current inventory:

    • eight 3-inch (76mm) augers
    • three 4-inch (102mm) augers

    Current inventory:

    • two Mark II (90 mm diameter core) systems
    • one Mark V (140 mm diameter core) system

    Current inventory:

    • 3 narrow kerf kits
    • 6 wide kerf kits

    The SIPRE auger is made from stainless steel and is consequently heavier than the IDDO and PICO augers.

    Shipping weight/cubes does not include the generator, Sidewinder or 4-inch hand auger normally used with this drill.

    Shipping weight includes generator but not hand auger. 130 lb shipping weight w/o generator.

    Restrictions

    While ethanol can be used to free a stuck SIPRE or Kovacs hand auger, only glycol should be used with the IDDO hand augers.

    Agile Ice Coring

    Name 4-Inch Drill Badger-Eclipse Drill Blue Ice Drill Chipmunk Drill Electrothermal Drill Foro 400 Drill Stampfli Drill
    Type Ice coring Ice coring Ice coring Ice coring Ice coring Ice coring Ice coring
    Max. Practical Depth 300-350 m 300 m 25 m (200 m for BID-Deep version*) 0.90 m 295 m 400 m 100 m
    Hole Diameter 145 mm (5.7 inches) 113 mm (4.4 inches) 288 mm (11.3 inches) 64 mm (2.5-inch) 104 mm (4.1 inches) 72 mm (2.8 inches)
    Ice Core Diameter 104 mm (4 inches) 81 mm (3.2 inches) 241 mm (9.5 inches) 41 mm (1.6-inch) 86 mm (3.4 inches) 98 mm (3.85 inches) 57 mm (2.2 inches)
    Ice Core Length 1 m 1 m 1 m 0.15 m 1 m 1 m 0.8 m
    IDP Driller Required? Yes, 1 driller (2 people required for drill operation) Yes, 1 driller (2 people required for drill operation) Yes, 1 driller (2 people required for drill operation) No Yes, 1 driller Yes No
    Drill Fluid Required? No No No No No No No
    Trench Required?

    No

    Yes (1.5 m x 0.7 m x 1.5 m)

    No

    No

    No

    No

    No

    Power Requirements/Source 220 V, 5 kW generator 120 V, 3 kW generator or Solar and wind power system 120 V, 3.5 kW generator (5 kW generator for BID-Deep) 120 V, 1 kW generator 220 V, 5 kW generator Solar panels or 2 kW generator
    Estimated Drilling Time

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

    100 m - 60 hours
    150 m - 110 hours
    200 m - 150 hours

    10 m - 2 hours
    20 m - 4 hours
    25 m - 5 hours

    50 m - 12 hours
    100 m - 25 hours
    150 m - 40 hours
    200 m - 60 hours

    20 m - 3 hr
    50 m - 14 hr
    100 m - 40 hr

    Time to Move (breakdown and setup) 6 hours 4 hours 4 hours 1 hour
    Helicopter Transportable? Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
    Light Aircraft Transportable? Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
    Shipping Weight

    2600 lbs

    1300 lbs

    4,300 lbs

    35 lbs

    1200 lbs

    1800 lbs

    380 lbs (including tent, excluding generator)

    Shipping Cube

    146

    70

    270

    2.3

    66

    200 m system can be broken down so individual pieces weigh less than 100 lbs and are under 6 ft3

    appx 37

    Comments

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

    Complete unit operating ~800 lbs. Heaviest component is the winch (on sled) 400 lbs. Winch control box 250 lbs.

    Shipping weight includes generator and 100 or 200 meter winch, depending on the required depth; complete operating weight is 800-1700 lbs; uses 4-Inch Drill system winches

    Shipping weight listed above includes all spares and shipping cases. For ultra-lightweight deployments, where spares and shipping cases can be left at a base camp, the weight of the winch, tower, one control box and one sonde is estimated at 604 lbs.

    Operable in ambient temperatures down to -25°C. A back-packable tent for housing drilling operations is also included.

    Restrictions

    * The depth capability of the BID-Deep is largely influenced by site/ice characteristics. The current equipment is likely reaching its operational limits and assuring acceptable core quality at depths of 200 m would require a re-design of the system.

    * IDP is discussing with the science community several approaches for drilling good quality ice core in blue ice, which may include design and fabrication of a modified BID or the development of a large-diameter thermal drill.

    Intermediate or Deep Ice Coring

    Name Foro 1650 Drill
    Type Ice coring
    Max. Practical Depth 1650 m
    Hole Diameter
    • 129.6 mm (wet hole)
    • 126 mm (dry hole)
    Ice Core Diameter 98 mm (3.85 inches)
    Ice Core Length 2.0 m
    Rock Core Diameter [NA]
    IDP Driller Required? Yes, 3+ (number of drillers required depends on desired drilling depth and drilling schedule)
    Drill Fluid Required? Yes
    Trench Required?

    Yes
    (3 m x 0.9 m x 3.5 m)

    Power Requirements/Source 35 kW, 460 V, 3-phase generator
    Estimated Drilling Time

    1,500 m - 85 days (assumes 24 hour operations)

    Time to Move (breakdown and setup)
    Helicopter Transportable? Yes (see system weight/cube below)
    Light Aircraft Transportable? Yes (see system weight/cube below)
    Shipping Weight

    27,000 lbs (does not include drilling fluid, generator, generator fuel, or personnel)

    Shipping Cube

    1,875

    Comments
    Restrictions

    Rock, Mixed Ice/Rock Coring

    Name Agile Sub-Ice Geological Drill Winkie Drill
    Type Rock coring; ice coring/augering Rock Coring; Ice Coring/Augering
    Max. Practical Depth 700 m (maximum drilling depth through ice) 120 m using standard AW34 drill rod. Designed as a rock drill so should also be possible with enough time and fluid to drill 120 m of rock core.
    Hole Diameter 62.5 mm 50 - 52 mm (augering), 86 mm
    Ice Core Diameter 33.4 mm, 71.7 mm
    Ice Core Length 1.5 m
    Rock Core Diameter 39 mm 33.4 mm
    Rock Core Length 1.5 m 1.5 m
    IDP Driller Required? Yes, 2 drillers (4 people required for drill assembly) Yes, 1 driller (2 people required for drill operation)
    Drill Fluid Required? Yes Yes
    Trench Required?

    No

    No

    Power Requirements/Source 120 V, 5 kW generator Generator 2.5 kW
    Estimated Drilling Time

    Ice: 1m/minute
    Rock: 0.15 m/minute rate of penetration

    Augering Ice: 0.4-0.5 m/min rate of penetration
    Coring Ice: ?
    Rock: 0.02-0.05 m/min rate of penetration
    Above values do not include rod tripping time (can be significant in deep holes)

    Time to Move (breakdown and setup) 2 days 3 hours (set up time)
    Helicopter Transportable? Yes (see system weight/cube below) Yes
    Light Aircraft Transportable? Yes (see system weight/cube below) Yes
    Shipping Weight

    19,000 lbs (200 m);
    30,000 lbs (700 m)

    6,800 lbs (120 m)

    Shipping Cube

    700

    110

    Comments

    Intermittent ice coring possible by replacing non-coring bit with core barrel assembly

    Restrictions

    In light of use of a drilling fluid, it is critical to select sites where the ice is frozen to the bedrock and is free of cracks and/or the presence of liquid water. Any voids within the ice or near the bed will result in a pressure drop and loss of fluid flow and would halt drilling. In addition, site selection should favor areas where the bed geometry and ice flow minimize pre-existing stresses present in the ice, reducing the risk of hydro fracture during drilling.

    In light of use of a drilling fluid, it is critical to select sites where the ice is frozen to the bedrock and is free of cracks and/or the presence of liquid water. Any voids within the ice or near the bed will result in a pressure drop and loss of fluid flow and would halt drilling. In addition, site selection should favor areas where the bed geometry and ice flow minimize pre-existing stresses present in the ice, reducing the risk of hydro fracture during drilling.

    Non-Coring

    Name Rapid Air Movement Drill Sediment Laden Lake Ice Drill Small Hot Water Drill
    Type Non-coring Hot Water Drill Hot Water Drill
    Max. Practical Depth 95 m (the depth being limited by the length of the hose) 6 m Reliable and efficient to a depth of 25-30 m
    Hole Diameter 100 mm 76mm - 250mm (3 inches - 9.8 inches) Variable (10 cm nominal)
    IDP Driller Required? Yes, 2 drillers No Typically at least one IDP driller (total of 2 people required for drill operations)
    Drill Fluid Required? No No No
    Trench Required?

    No

    No

    No

    Power Requirements/Source 2 kW Generator 120 V, 5 kW generator
    Estimated Drilling Time

    5" diameter x 6m deep in 30 minutes

    30 m - 15 minutes

    Time to Move (breakdown and setup) 30 minutes 20 minutes
    Helicopter Transportable? Yes Yes
    Light Aircraft Transportable? Yes Yes
    Shipping Weight

    18,853 lbs

    415 lbs

    3500 lbs; Assembled for operation w/o fuel: 2200 lbs

    Shipping Cube

    1649 cube

    34 cubic feet

    400

    Comments
    Restrictions

    Optimization of the compressors (small or large) and the hose and sonde are required to meet the revised science requirements for RAM 2. Even with the large compressors, however, the drill system is not reaching the 90 m depth range of the original RAM Drill.

    Borehole Logging

    Name Deep Logging Winch Intermediate Depth Logging Winch Logging Tower USGS Deep Logging Winch
    Type Logging Logging Accessory for borehole logging operations Logging
    Max. Practical Depth 4000 m 1750 m [NA] 4400 m
    IDP Driller Required? Yes (usually) Yes (usually) No Yes (usually)
    Power Requirements/Source 208 V (L21-30) and 125 V (L5-20); 8 kW generator 120 V, 3.5 kW generator [NA] 208 V (Hubbell 231A) and 120 V; 10 kW generator
    Helicopter Transportable? No Yes Yes No
    Light Aircraft Transportable? No Yes Yes No
    Shipping Weight

    Winch crate is 3500 lbs
    Winch control case is 400 lbs

    Winch crate is 900 lbs
    Winch control case is 75 lbs

    180 lbs

    4,260 lbs

    Shipping Cube

    Winch crate is 86" L x 60" W x 68" H
    Winch control case is 48" L x 48" W x 36" H

    Winch crate is 57" x 42" x 35"
    Winch control case is 39" x 24" x 12"

    58" L x 18" W x 16" H

    135

    Comments

    Weights and dimensions above do not include a generator or fuel

    Weights and dimensions above do not include a generator or fuel

    Weights and dimensions above do not include a generator or fuel

    Restrictions

    This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Cooperative Agreement No. 1836328 to Dartmouth, and sub-awards to University of Wisconsin and University of New Hampshire which support the work of the U.S. Ice Drilling Program (IDP). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

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