Electrothermal Drill

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 an 86 mm (3.4-inch) core and has been used to drill to nearly 300 meters. 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 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 an ethanol deployment system were implemented. In 2021, a new debris vacuum was implemented to remove debris from the borehole that might impede melting and forward progress. In 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, the drill was tested to 300 m depth in Alaska in conjunction with the Juneau Icefield Research Program (JIRP). The drill was used in 2022 to drill 128 m to bedrock at a high-altitude site on the Quelccaya Ice Cap in Peru, and was used on Mt. Waddington in British Columbia in 2023 to 219 m depth.