A new 122 mm electromechanical drill for deep ice-sheet coring (DISC): 4. Drill cable

The deep ice-sheet coring (DISC) drill developed by Ice Coring and Drilling Services (ICDS) under contract with the US National Science Foundation requires a drill cable capable of transmitting high amounts of electrical power as well as high rates of data. The DISC cable was designed and manufactured by the Rochester Corporation to core ice to depths of 4000 m. In addition to the steel strength members to support the drill, the cable has copper wires for conducting electrical power for the drill sonde cutter, pump motors and the sonde electronics and an optical fiber core for data transmission. The outer steel layers are filled with a special compound to minimize fluid penetration of the cable.