An Engineering, Environmental and Logistical Analysis of the Polar Ice Coring Office 13.2 cm Ice Coring System

An ice coring system may be defined as a thermal or mechanical system for retrieving ice samples in a continuous sequence to varying depths through glaciers or ice caps. Unfortunately, such a succinct statement doesn't begin to cover the difficulties involved. The nature of the mission dictates that the quality of the ice sample obtained must be as high as possible. Typical project locations are extremely remote, high in altitude and polar in climate.

Transportation requirements are such that the system must be as light weight as possible, set up as quickly as possible and deliver as much ice core as can be obtained in the shortest possible time. The engineering difficulties involved in design and operation of such a system are affected by required sample size, ice temperature, environmental considerations, drilling rate and overall drill depth among others. The 13.2 cm drill designed by all of these considerations.