The Electrothermal Drill (aka Thermal Drill) melts an annulus around the ice cores it collects. It supplements the 4-Inch Drills and can be substituted for the 4-Inch Drill sonde, using the same winching system, for use in ice warmer than about minus 10° C. The drill collects a 76 mm (3-inch) core and has been used to drill to approximately 200-meters. For depths shallower than 30-meters, a simpler tripod assembly for operation of the drill is available and 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 from melting and refreezing of the surrounding ice. The Thermal Drill has performed well in British Columbia, Alaska and in southeastern Greenland. The drill was most recently deployed and used successfully to drill through firn aquifer layers in SE Greenland during spring 2013 and spring 2015.
IDP has one Thermal Drill ready for issue. A new 65-meter water-shedding cable was procured in 2015 to prevent the fibrous cable typically used with the Thermal and 4-Inch Drills from soaking with water in aquifer layers, refreezing and causing issues with travel over the upper sheave on the drill tower. As requested by the IDP Science Advisory Board and the larger science community, IDP began exploring upgrades to the Thermal Drill in PY 2018 to allow for coring to 300 meters. Initial upgrades are now complete and include new heat rings, a new 300 m water-shedding cable, a magnetic tool to aid in core removal and a prototype ethanol delivery mechanism. Preliminary testing of the upgrades was conducted in March 2019 near Madison. The upgrades will be further tested by IDP in Alaska in July 2019 in conjunction with the Juneau Icefield Research Program (JIRP).
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 |
Documents
Citation | Year |
---|---|
U.S. Ice Drilling Program (2020) Thermal Drill Operations and Maintenance Manual. 1-20. | 2020 |
Photos
View of the 2019 Thermal Drill field test site, located at the flow divide between the Matthes and Llewellyn glaciers. Credit: Anna de Vitry
A 2-meter-long section of ice from Combatant Col, Mt. Waddington, British Columbia, is removed from the Thermal Drill. Credit: Doug Clark
Drilling with the thermal drill at Combatant Col, Mt. Waddington, British Columbia, during the 2010 field season. Credit: Eric Steig
Collecting firn water from the drill head of the thermal drill during the 2013 field season in SE Greenland. Credit: Rick Forster
Project History
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 |
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