Special Report 86-32 US Army Corps November 1986 of Engineers Cold Regions Research & Engineering Laboratory Equipment for making access holes through arctic sea ice Malcolm Mellor Prepared for NAVAL CIVIL ENGINEERING LABORATORY Approved for public release; distribution Is unlimited. Unclassified SEC URITY CLASSIF ICATIO N OF THIS PAGE Form Approve d REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE OM B No 0704·0 1BB ElIp Date Ju n ]O, 1986 , . REPORT SECUR ITY CLASSI FICATION 1b RESTR ICTIV E MARKINGS Unclassified 2 • . SEC URIT Y ClASSIFI(A nON A UTH ORITY 3 DISTR IBUTION I AVAILAB ILITY OF REPORT 2b. DECLASSIF ICATION / DOWNGRADING SCHED ULE Approved for public release; d istribution is unlimited. 4. PERFORMING ORGANIZATI ON REPOR T NUMBER(S ) S M ONITORING ORGAN IZA TI ON RE PORT NUMBER(S) Specia l Re po rt 86-32 6 • . NAM E OF PERFO RMING O RGAN IZATION 6b. OFFIC E SY MBOL 7. NAME OF MONITORING O RGANIZATION U.S. Army Cold Regions Researc h (If applicable) Naval Civil Enginee ring Laboratory and Engineering Laboratory C RREL 6c. ADDRESS (City, State, and ZIP Code) 7b ADDRESS (C;ty, State, and ZIP Code) 72 Lyme Road Port Hueneme, Califo rnia 93043-5003 Hanove r, New Hampsh ire 03755- 1290 8• . NAME OF FUNDING / SPONSORI NG 8b. OFFIC E SY MBOL 9. PROCUREMENT INSTR UMENT IDE NTIFICA TION NUMBER ORGANIZATION (I f appl;cable) N68305 86WR60128 8e. ADDRES S (City, State, and ZIP Code) 10. SOURCE O F FUNDING NUMBERS PROGRAM PROJ ECT TASK WO RK UNIT ELEMENT NO. NO NO ACCESS IO N NO 11 . TITL E (Include Security Classification) EQUI PMENT FOR MAKING ACC ESS HOLES THROUGH ARCTIC SEA ICE 12. PE RSONAL AUTHOR(S) Me llor Malcolm 13 • . TYPE OF REPORT l 13 b. TI ME COVE RED 14 DATE OF REPORT (Year. M onth, Day) I' S PAGE COU NT Final FRO M Eeb B6 TO .~ ~n . Rli November 1986 l R 16. SU PP LEM ENTA RY NOTATION 17. COSATI CODES , 8. SUBJECT TE RMS (Continue on re verse if necessary and identify by block number) FIELD GRO UP SUB-GROUP Ice Pola r regions Ice ope n ings Sea ice Ice pe net ration Underwa t e r cons.r"r dnn 19. ABSTRACT (Continue on reverse if necessary and identify by block number) Navy Underwa ter Construc tion Teams require a capability for making access holes through a rctic sea ice. Required hole diameters range f rom less than 4 in. (J OO mm) to more than 10 ft (3 m) in ice up to 15 ft (4 .6 m) thic k. Small diameter holes are to be completed in less than 4 hr and la rge diameter holes in le ss t han 8 hr. The report f irst gives brief descriptions of the working e nvironment, site access con- side ra t ions, and probable operational procedure. PrinCiples and tec hniques for penetrating sea ice a re sum ma rized, wit h an initial list of 14 topics. Twelve of these items are identified as potentially re levant, and are discussed more fully. They include: 1) projec tile penetration, 2) shaped charge penetrat ion, 3) high pressure water jets, 4) bla sting, 5) flame je t s, 6) e lectrothermal devices, 7) hydrothermal devices, 8) rota ry drilling, 9) perc ussive and vibratory pene t ration, 10) mechanical c utting, 11) c hem ica l pene tra- tion, 12) exotic concept s. The final selec tion, which ta kes into a ccount prac tica l concerns and f ie ld experie nce, recom mends the following things as basic tools: a) small dia me ter auge r drills (Jess tha n 4 in. diam), b) large diamete r a uge r drills (::: 9 in. diam), c) chain saws, d) a hot water system for drill- ing and c utting. The disc ussion of assoc iated equipme nt covers elec tric genera t ors, hoists and lifting 20. DISTR IBUTION / AVA ILABILITY OF ABSTRACT 21 ABSTRACT SEC URITY CLASS IFICATION ~ UNC LA SSI FIED/UNLIMITED o SAME AS RPT. o DT IC US ERS Un classified 22 • . NAME OF RES PONS IBLE INDIVIDUAL 22b TEL EPHON E (Include Ar ea Code) Inc OFF ICE SYMBOL M. Mellor 603-646- 4297 f" T> T> ' " _ ' ''' DO fORM 1473,84 MAR 8 3 APR edit ion may be used until e)(h austed SECU RITY CLASS IFICATION OF TH IS PAGE All other ed it ions are obsol ete Unc lassified 19. A bstract (con t'd) tackle. hand tools. and blasting supplies. Consideration is also given to single-fuel operation. bulk melting. and possibilities for use of compressed air. Recommendations for development work by NCEL are given. ii PREFACE This report was prepared by Dr. Malcolm Mellor, Research Physical Scientist, Ex­ perimental Engineering Division, U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineer­ ing Laboratory. The study was done for the Naval Civil Engineering Laboratory, Port Hueneme, California, under reimbursable order number N68305 86WR60l28. The author gratefully acknowledges the suggestions and advice of Robert Bigl , Bruce Brockett, Gordon Cox, Larry Gould, John Govoni, Austin Kovacs, Paul Sell­ mann and Terry Tucker. The contents of this report are not to be used for advertising or commercial pur­ poses . Citation of brand names does not constitute an official endorsement or ap­ proval of the use of such commercial products. iii CONTENTS Page Abstract ...... .. .. • . ..................•. .. ... ......•.•........... Preface . iii Introduction .. ..... ............. .....•... ............... • .•.•. ... .... Task description ... ............ .......... .. ... .. ..• . ..... .......• . • . • . • Environment and site access . ..... ..... , . 1 Description of operation . • . • . • . 2 Techniques for penetrating sea ice . • . • . 3 Potentially relevant technology. • . 3 Basic equipment recommendations for UCT operations. • . .. IS Recommendations for associated equipment. 22 Related considerations . ...... ............... .. .. ..... .. .. ... .. ...... 23 Recommendations for development work . 25 References . • . • . 25 Appendix A: Ice augers and drive systems . 29 ILLUSTRA nONS Figure I. Basic features of a typical rotationally symmetrical shaped charge . 4 2. Linear shaped charge . • . • 4 3. Example of equipment for high pressure water iet culling . ....... ......... 5 4. Examples of nozzles for high press ure water iet cUlling. 6 5. High pressure water iet used for culling ice from lock walls.. .. ........ ... .. 6 6. Design curves for ice blasting . 7 7. Use of delay deck charges to break a narrow shaft through very thick ice . S S. Example of equipment for hot-water drilling (Tucker) . 10 9. Example of equipment for hot-water drilling (Poplin). 10 10. Hot-water drill packaged on a small toboggan for work at remote sites on arctic sea ice ... .. .... .. ... .. ...... .. ....... ....... ..... ... II II . Large wOodculling chain saw mounted on a small tractor . • . • . 13 12 . Large chain saw developed for cUlling ice from lock walls . • . • . • 13 13. Ice saw developed by NCEL . • 14 14. Standard gasoline chain saw with 20-in. bar . ... .. .... ... ..... .. .. 14 15 . "Skip-tooth" chain for increasing the spacing between chain saw cullers. 15 16. Vermeer disc saw cUlling lake ice . .. .. .. .. 15 17. Ditch·Witch disc saw... ...... ............... .. .. .. .. ...... 16 IS. Simple gin-pole for lifting long sections of auger. ... .. .. ...... ... ... 17 19. Simple tripod for lifting ice blocks ................. ... ............... ... 17 20. Tool angles for chisel-edge drag bits on rotary boring heads. 19 21. Steel wing cullers on ice-fishing augers . 19 22. Finn-Bore 5 V,- in .-diameter Finnish ice auger . 20 23. Scroll-type steel cullers for ice· fi shing auger. 20 24 . WOOd-culling bit modified for use in ice . 20 25. Nine-inch-diameter ice auger, showing cUlling teeth and spear-point pilot bit. 21 26. Fourteen-inch·diameter auger for drilling in frozen soil. 21 iv Equipment for Making Access Holes Through Arctic Sea Ice MALCOLM MELLOR Introduction SU fe that the surrounding ice remains competen t for support of operating equipment and person­ Until recent years, most of the human activity nel. The study shall address gaining access in first­ on arctic sea ice was research work by small scien­ year or multi-year ice up to 15 ft thick for holes in tific parties. Some of the work was done from the following ranges of sizes: small camps set up for brief periods. Other work • small (less than 4 in. dia.) access holes for was based at small stations that were maintained in strumentation over periods of years on thick ice noes or on small • holes to 4 ft diameter for equipment and tabular icebergs known as ice islands. Over the divers past decade, the pace of activity increased, largely • holes from 4 to 10 ft diameter as a result of oil and gas exploration in the waters • holes larger than 10 ft around Alaska, Canada, and Greenland. Since the It is necessary that tools and equipment for earliest days of scientific research on th e arcti c sea through ice access be compatible with the skill ice, investigators from the U.S.S.R. have been levels of Navy enlisted personnel with training and very active. skills in the Construction and Blasting ratings. The U.S . Navy has now renewed its research ac­ Through ice access is required in remote areas tivity in the arctic, and it is expected that there will where there is no heavy moving or lifting equip­ be a continuing Navy demand for the drilling and ment and there are only limited means of trans­ cutting of access holes to permit entry and recov­ porting the equipment to the access site. As a goal, ery of instruments, equipment and divers. The it is desirable to provide fu ll through ice access for Navy Civi l Engineering Laboratory (NCEL) is holes to 4 ft in diameter in less than 4 hours, and preparing to meet these demands by developing for larger holes in less than 8 hours. The result of techniques and equipment that can be used rou­ this study is a repon that di scusses currently avail­ tinely by small groups, particularly Underwater able techniques including at least: Construction Teams (VCTs).