Electrothermal Drill

Description

The Electrothermal Drill (aka Thermal Drill) melts an annulus around the ice cores it collects. It can be substituted for the 4-Inch Drill sonde, using the same winch system, for use in ice warmer than about minus 10° C. The drill collects a 86 mm (3.4-inch) core and has been used to drill to nearly 300 meters. For depths shallower than 30 m, a simpler tripod assembly for operation of the drill has been used with good success. The sonde is particularly useful in ice close to the pressure melting point, where electromechanical drills are at risk of getting stuck. At the request of the science community, IDP pursued upgrades in PY 2018 to allow for coring to 300 meters. New heat rings, a new 300 meter water-shedding cable, a magnetic tool to aid in core removal and an ethanol deployment system were implemented. In 2021, a new debris vacuum was designed, fabricated, and tested to remove debris from the borehole that might impede melting and forward progress. A new core processing tray was also developed. In PY 2022, a second aluminum sonde was fabricated to replace the heavier steel barrel.

The Thermal Drill has performed well in Alaska, British Columbia, southeastern Greenland, and Peru. In 2019, three IDP personnel traveled to Alaska in conjunction with the Juneau Icefield Research Program (JIRP) and successfully tested the drill to 300 meters depth. The drill was used in September 2022 to successfully drill 128 meters to bedrock at a high-altitude site on the Quelccaya Ice Cap in Peru, and was used again on Mt. Waddington in British Columbia, Cananda in 2023 to a depth of 219 meters.

Equipment Details

Name Electrothermal Drill
Type
Type
Ice coring
Number in Inventory
Number in Inventory
1
Max. Practical Depth
Max. Practical Depth
295 m
Hole Diameter
Hole Diameter
104 mm (4.1 inches)
Ice Core Diameter
Ice Core Diameter
86 mm (3.4 inches)
Ice Core Length
Ice Core Length
1 m
IDP Driller Required?
IDP Driller Required?
Yes, 1 driller
Drill Fluid Required?
Drill Fluid Required?
No
Power Requirements/Source
Power Requirements/Source
220 V, 5 kW generator
Helicopter Transportable?
Helicopter Transportable?
Yes
Light Aircraft Transportable?
Light Aircraft Transportable?
Yes
Shipping Weight
Shipping Weight

1200 lbs

Shipping Volume (Cube)
Shipping Cube

66

Comments
Comments

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

Documents

Citation Year
Mary R Albert, Kristina R Slawny, Jay A Johnson, Elliot Moravec, Tanner W Kuhl (2024) Drilling Ice and Subglacial Rock Cores for Scientific Discovery in a Changing Climate. In: Glaciers - Recent Research, Importance to Humanity and the Effects of Climate Change. IntechOpen. Edited by Emeritus Prof. Stuart Arthur Harris, doi: 10.5772/intechopen.1004695. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.1004695 2024
NSF Ice Drilling Program (2023) Thermal Drill Operations and Maintenance Manual. 1-22. 2023
Richard R Forster, Lora Koenig, Peter D Neff, Eric J Steig, IDPO (2018) Science Requirements: IDDO Electrothermal Drill. 1-5. 2018
Vladimir Aizen, Christine Foreman, Andrei Kurbatov, Erich Osterberg, Eric J Steig (2011) 10 year plan for Shallow Coring Capabilities (1-400 m deep). 2011 Ice Drilling Science Community Planning Workshop, April 15-16, 2011, Herndon, Virginia, USA, 1-5. 2011

Photos

Project History

2023 Arctic - Collaborative Research: P2C2-- Ice Core and Firn Aquifer Studies at Combatant Col, British Columbia, Canada
2022 Arctic - Investigation of High Andean Snow and Ice Chemistry to Improve Paleoclimatic Reconstruction and Enhance Climate Prediction
2019 Arctic - Alaska: Electrothermal Drill Testing with the Juneau Icefield Research Program
2015 Arctic - Greenland: Characterization of the Volume, Flow, and Discharge of the Greenland Firn Aquifer
2013 Arctic - Greenland: Investigation of the Greenland Perennial Firn Aquifer
2012 Arctic - Alaska: McCall Glacier Ice Cores
2010 Arctic - British Columbia: Ice Core Paleoclimate Records from Combatant Col, Mount Waddington

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