Ice Drilling in Fletcher's Ice Island (T-3) with a Portable Mechanical Drill

Abstract

Reports an Apr 1964 attempt by General Motors Corp engineers to assess the feasibility of using the Houston Model V-100 portable drilling rig (illus) for drilling through ice islands. When used in its "pressure mode", it proved satisfactory to a depth of 100 ft. A method by which the drill hole can be kept free of ice for subsequent investigations, using diesel oil and an electric heat drill is described.