Sediment Laden Lake Ice Drill

Description

The Sediment Laden Lake Ice Drill (SLLID) is a 28 kW hot water drill useful for creating holes with very little initial water, for freeing instrument cables from the ice, and for accessing equipment deployed beneath the ice. The drill is effective at drilling through sediment laden ice and allows safe servicing of science instruments deployed in the lakes and ocean.

The SLLID is designed to achieve a drilling speed of less than 30 minutes for a 5-inch hole through a 6 meter ice cover. Drill components are small, lightweight and are able to be lifted by a maximum of two people. The drill has stand-alone capability for operation at small field camps at remote sites with no heavy equipment and is intended to be operated by the science team. Components that allow for clean access drilling were also incorporated in the design. Fabrication, final assembly and in-house testing of the drill were completed in fall 2017. The system was deployed for its first field project in the Dry Valleys of Antarctica during the 2018-2019 field season.

Equipment Details

Name Sediment Laden Lake Ice Drill
Type
Type
Hot Water Drill
Number in Inventory
Number in Inventory
1
Max. Practical Depth
Max. Practical Depth
6 m
Hole Diameter
Hole Diameter
76mm - 250mm (3 inches - 9.8 inches)
IDP Driller Required?
IDP Driller Required?
No
Drill Fluid Required?
Drill Fluid Required?
No
Power Requirements/Source
Power Requirements/Source
2 kW Generator
Estimated Drilling Time
Estimated Drilling Time

5" diameter x 6m deep in 30 minutes

Time to Move (breakdown and setup)
Time to Move (breakdown and setup)
30 minutes
Helicopter Transportable?
Helicopter Transportable?
Yes
Light Aircraft Transportable?
Light Aircraft Transportable?
Yes
Shipping Weight
Shipping Weight

415 lbs

Shipping Volume (Cube)
Shipping Cube

34 cubic feet

Documents

Citation Year
NSF Ice Drilling Program (2019) Sediment Laden Lake Ice Drill Operations and Maintenance Manual. 1-18. 2019
Joshua J Goetz, Chris J Gibson (2017) Sediment Laden Lake Ice Drill Concept Overview. 1-7. 2017
Joshua J Goetz (2017) Sediment Laden Lake Ice Drill Conceptual Design Review. 1-15. 2017
Peter Doran, Stacy Kim, John C Priscu, IDPO (2015) Science Requirements: Sediment Laden Lake Ice Drill. 1-3. 2015

Photos

Project History

2018-2019 Antarctic - LTER: Ecosystem Response to Amplified Landscape Connectivity in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica

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