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 from melting and refreezing of the surrounding ice. 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) to perform drill testing. The drill was used in September 2022 to successfully drill 128 m to bedrock at a high-altitude site on the Quelccaya Ice Cap in Peru.
IDP has one Thermal Drill ready for issue. At the request of the science community, IDP pursued upgrades in PY 2018 to allow for coring to 300 m. New heat rings, a new 300 m water-shedding cable, a magnetic tool to aid in core removal, and a prototype ethanol delivery mechanism were implemented. In 2021, a new debris vacuum was designed, fabricated, and tested, to remove any 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 steel barrel.
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 (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
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
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 |
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