Hand Auger, IDDO

Description

The hand auger is the most basic of the mechanical drills and is driven from the surface by extensions that are added as drilling proceeds into the ice.

IDP primarily deploys three types of hand augers:

  • IDDO: 3-inch (76 mm) and 4-inch (101 mm) cores
  • Kovacs: 3.54-inch (90 mm) and 5.5-inch (140 mm) cores
  • SIPRE: 3-inch (76 mm) core

The SIPRE, Kovacs, and short IDDO systems take half-meter cores, while the long IDDO systems take one-meter cores. IDP also has two remaining PICO 3-inch hand auger kits in inventory, which are occasionally requested for drilling in blue ice. Much of the PICO equipment has aged beyond its useful life and several PICO drills kits were decommissioned in early 2022. The maximum depth to which hand augers can be used without power assistance (see Sidewinder) is approximately 20 meters. Hand augers are typically operated by investigators without assistance from IDP equipment operators.

Hand augers are individually packed and assigned to investigators, depending on project needs. Augers for users traveling through McMurdo Station are individually packed by IDP and sent to the BFC (Berg Field Center) for distribution to the specified field project. Drills for use elsewhere are shipped directly to the individual investigators or to the field sites. IDP maintains eight copies of the 3-inch IDDO hand auger, three copies of the 4-inch IDDO hand auger and nine copies of the SIPRE hand auger.

The IDDO hand auger system is a small lightweight, portable drill system that is designed to take core from firn, but will also work in many kinds of solid ice. IDDO augers come in two different diameters: 79 mm (3.1-inches) or 101 mm (4.0-inches). Both models can be configured to take ½-meter or 1-meter long cores. The standard IDDO hand auger kit contains everything needed to take core to a depth of 20-meters. Customized kits are provided on request for deeper coring or lighter weight requirements. The IDDO hand auger may be hand or power driven. If power is desired, request the Sidewinder Power Drive.

The IDDO hand auger barrel utilizes a three flight/cutter design and is made of fiberglass composite pipe with metal-reinforced connection points to the coring head and extensions. The coring head contains three planar stainless steel cutters, and three possible options for catching/holding the core: a tapered head, a split ring collet insert, and core dog assemblies. A variety of penetration shoes and core dog springs also come with each hand auger system to allow adjustments for different cutting conditions. The extensions are hollow stem aluminum, which not only makes them lighter but also enables easy delivery of fluid to the bottom of the borehole if needed. Each hand auger system also comes with a gated extension support tool that can be managed with only one driller, and an extension recovery tool for fishing dropped extensions out of the borehole.

Equipment Details

Name Hand Auger, IDDO
Type
Type
Ice coring
Number in Inventory
Number in Inventory
11
Max. Practical Depth
Max. Practical Depth
20 m (30-40 m with Sidewinder)
Hole Diameter
Hole Diameter
110 mm (4.3-inches)
132 mm (5.2-inches)
Ice Core Diameter
Ice Core Diameter
79 mm (3.1-inches)
101 mm (4.0-inches)
Ice Core Length
Ice Core Length
up to 1 m
IDP Driller Required?
IDP Driller Required?
No
Drill Fluid Required?
Drill Fluid Required?
No
Power Requirements/Source
Power Requirements/Source
Hand-powered or Sidewinder
Estimated Drilling Time
Estimated Drilling Time

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

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

90 lbs for 20 meter kit

Shipping Volume (Cube)
Shipping Cube

6

Restrictions
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.

Comments
Comments

Current inventory:

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

Documents

Citation Year
U.S. Ice Drilling Program (2021) IDDO Hand Auger Kit Operations and Maintenance Manual. 1-20. 2021
U.S. Ice Drilling Program (2021) IDP Sidewinder Operations and Maintenance Manual. 1-21. 2021
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
Jay D Kyne, Joseph McConnell (2007) The SideWinder for powering a hand-coring auger in drilling and lifting. Annals of Glaciology, 47, 101-104. doi: 10.3189/172756407786857721. https://doi.org/10.3189/172756407786857721 2007

Photos

Videos

Videos

Project History

2019-2020 Antarctic - Thwaites-Amundsen Regional Survey and Network (TARSAN)
2019-2020 Antarctic - RAID Antarctic Field Trial (AFT) 3
2018-2019 Antarctic - Reconstructing Carbon-14 of Atmospheric Carbon Monoxide from Law Dome, Antarctica, to Constrain Long-Term Hydroxyl Radical Variability
2017-2018 Antarctic - Minna Bluff Firn Core and Firn Air Sampling
2016-2017 Antarctic - Characterization of Upstream Ice and Firn Dynamics affecting the South Pole Ice Core
2015-2016 Antarctic - RAID/ASIG Packer Test
2013 Arctic - Greenland: Greenland Aerosols and Methane Records
2011 Arctic - Greenland: Greenland Ice Sheet Monitoring Network
2011 Arctic - Greenland: Greenland Ice Sheet Snow Accumulation Variability
2010 Arctic - Greenland: Summit Firn Air Cooling Feasibility Study
2010 Arctic - Greenland: Understanding the Physical Properties of Northern Greenland Near-Surface Snow

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