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DOE OSTI2025

Assessing the suitability of sites near Pine Island Glacier for subglacial bedrock drilling aimed at detecting Holocene retreat–readvance

Abstract. Unambiguous identification of past episodes of ice sheet thinning below the modern surface and grounding line retreat inboard of present requires recovery and exposure dating of subglacial bedrock. Such efforts are needed to understand the significance and potential future reversibility of ongoing and projected change in Antarctica. Here we evaluate the suitability for subglacial bedrock drilling of sites in the Hudson Mountains, which are located in the Amundsen Sea sector of West Antarctica. We use an ice sheet model and field data – geological observations, glaciological observations and bedrock samples from nunataks, and ground-penetrating radar from subglacial ridges – to rate each site against four key criteria: (i) presence of ridges extending below the ice sheet, (ii) likelihood of increased exposure of those ridges if the grounding line was inboard of present, (iii) suitability of bedrock for drilling and geochemical analysis, and (iv) accessibility for aircraft and drilling operations. Our results demonstrate that although no site in the Hudson Mountains is perfect for this study when assessed against all criteria, the accessibility, N–S orientation and basaltic bedrock lithology of Winkie Nunatak's southernmost ridge (74.86° S, 99.77° W) make it a feasible site both for drilling and subsequent cosmogenic nuclide analysis. Furthermore, the ridge is strewn with glacial erratics at all elevations, providing valuable constraints on its early Holocene deglacial history. Based on our experiences during this study, we conclude with a series of recommendations for assessing site suitability for future bedrock drilling campaigns. We emphasise the importance of consulting a range of expertise prior to drilling and ensuring that sufficient field reconnaissance is undertaken (including obtaining detailed grids of radar survey data and bedrock samples).

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

NASA NTRS1974

Apollo drill core depth relationships

Preliminary depth relationships are presented for the Apollo 15, 16, and 17 drill core samples. For a given depth in any of these drill stems, the in situ lunar surface depth can be estimated. Ranges of uncertainty are also established, based on percent core recovery and degree of sample disturbance. The most likely explanation for the sample disturbance observed in the top three sections of the Apollo 16 drill stem is sample migration after the stem was capped on the lunar surface; essentially no sample was lost. Similar disturbance occurred in the Apollo 17 drill core, although to a lesser degree. The average original bulk densities (i.e., before any disturbance occurred) of the Apollo 15, 16, and 17 drill cores are 1.76, 1.59, and 1.87 g/cu cm, respectively. The Apollo 15 and 17 values are probably close to the in situ values; but the Apollo 16 average in situ density could be as much as 13% less than the already low density in the drill core.

Carrier, W. D., III↗

NASA NTRS1989

Lunar deep drill apparatus

Proposed as a baseline configuration, this rotary drill apparatus is designed to produce 100-mm diameter holes in the lunar surface at depths up to 50 meters. The drill is intended to acquire samples for scientific analysis, mineral resource location, calibration of electronic exploration devices, and foundation analysis at construction sites. It is also intended to prepare holes for emplacement of scientific instruments, the setting of structural anchors, and explosive methods in excavation and mining activities. Defined as a deep drill because of the modular drill string, it incorporates an automatic rod changer. The apparatus is teleoperated from a remote location, such as earth, utilizing supervisory control techniques. It is thus suitable for unmanned and man-tended operation. Proven terrestrial drilling technology is used to the extent it is compatible with the lunar environment. Augers and drive tubes form holes in the regolith and may be used to acquire loose samples. An inertial cutting removal system operates intermittently while rock core drilling is in progress. The apparatus is carried to the work site by a three-legged mobile platform which also provides a 2-meter feed along the hole centerline, an off-hole movement of approximately .5 meters, an angular alignment of up to 20 deg. from gravity vertical, and other dexterity required in handling rods and samples. The technology can also be applied using other carriers which incorporate similar motion capabilities. The apparatus also includes storage racks for augers, rods, and ancillary devices such as the foot-plate that holds the down-hole tooling during rod changing operations.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS2010

Mars Science Laboratory Drill

The Drill for the Mars Science Laboratory mission is a rotary-percussive sample acquisition device with an emphasis on toughness and robustness to handle the harsh environment on Mars. The unique challenges associated with autonomous drilling from a mobile robot are addressed. A highly compressed development schedule dictated a modular design architecture that satisfies the functional and load requirements while allowing independent development and testing of the Drill subassemblies. The Drill consists of four actuated mechanisms: a spindle that rotates the bit, a chuck that releases and engages bits, a novel voice-coil-based percussion mechanism that hammers the bit, and a linear translation mechanism. The Drill has three passive mechanisms: a replaceable bit assembly that acquires and collects sample, a contact sensor / stabilizer mechanism, and, lastly a flex harness service loop. This paper describes the various mechanisms that makeup the Drill and discusses the solutions to their unique design and development challenges.

Okon, Avi B.↗

NASA NTRS2010

Robotic Planetary Drill Tests

Several proposed or planned planetary science missions to Mars and other Solar System bodies over the next decade require subsurface access by drilling. This paper discusses the problems of remote robotic drilling, an automation and control architecture based loosely on observed human behaviors in drilling on Earth, and an overview of robotic drilling field test results using this architecture since 2005. Both rotary-drag and rotary-percussive drills are targeted. A hybrid diagnostic approach incorporates heuristics, model-based reasoning and vibration monitoring with neural nets. Ongoing work leads to flight-ready drilling software.

Glass, Brian J.↗

NASA NTRS2012

Optimal Force Control of Vibro-Impact Systems for Autonomous Drilling Applications

The need to maintain optimal energy efficiency is critical during the drilling operations performed on future and current planetary rover missions (see figure). Specifically, this innovation seeks to solve the following problem. Given a spring-loaded percussive drill driven by a voice-coil motor, one needs to determine the optimal input voltage waveform (periodic function) and the optimal hammering period that minimizes the dissipated energy, while ensuring that the hammer-to-rock impacts are made with sufficient (user-defined) impact velocity (or impact energy). To solve this problem, it was first observed that when voice-coil-actuated percussive drills are driven at high power, it is of paramount importance to ensure that the electrical current of the device remains in phase with the velocity of the hammer. Otherwise, negative work is performed and the drill experiences a loss of performance (i.e., reduced impact energy) and an increase in Joule heating (i.e., reduction in energy efficiency). This observation has motivated many drilling products to incorporate the standard bang-bang control approach for driving their percussive drills. However, the bang-bang control approach is significantly less efficient than the optimal energy-efficient control approach solved herein. To obtain this solution, the standard tools of classical optimal control theory were applied. It is worth noting that these tools inherently require the solution of a two-point boundary value problem (TPBVP), i.e., a system of differential equations where half the equations have unknown boundary conditions. Typically, the TPBVP is impossible to solve analytically for high-dimensional dynamic systems. However, for the case of the spring-loaded vibro-impactor, this approach yields the exact optimal control solution as the sum of four analytic functions whose coefficients are determined using a simple, easy-to-implement algorithm. Once the optimal control waveform is determined, it can be used optimally in the context of both open-loop and closed-loop control modes (using standard realtime control hardware).

Aldrich, Jack B.↗

NASA NTRS2014

The Auto-Gopher Deep Drill

Subsurface penetration by coring, drilling or abrading is of great importance for a large number of space and earth applications. An Ultrasonic/Sonic Drill/Corer (USDC) has been in development at JPL's Nondestructive Evaluation and Advanced Actuators (NDEAA) lab as an adaptable tool for many of these applications. The USDC uses a novel drive mechanism to transform the high frequency ultrasonic or sonic vibrations of the tip of a horn into a lower frequency sonic hammering of a drill bit through an intermediate free-flying mass. The USDC device idea has been implemented at various scales from handheld drills to large diameter coring devices. A series of computer programs that model the function and performance of the USDC device were developed and were later integrated into an automated modeling package. The USDC has also evolved from a purely hammering drill to a rotary hammer drill as the design requirements increased form small diameter shallow drilling to large diameter deep coring. A synthesis of the Auto-Gopher development is presented in this paper.

Badescu, Mircea↗

NASA NTRS2017

Auto-Gopher-II – An Autonomous Wireline Rotary-Hammer Ultrasonic Drill

Developing technologies that would enable future NASA exploration missions to penetrate deeper into the subsurface of planetary bodies for sample collection is of great importance. Performing these tasks while using minimal mass/volume systems and with low energy consumption is another set of requirements imposed on such technologies. A deep drill, called Auto-Gopher II, is currently being developed as a joint effort between JPL’s NDEAA laboratory and Honeybee Robotics Corp. The Auto-Gopher II is a wireline rotary-hammer drill that combines formation breaking by hammering using an ultrasonic actuator and cuttings removal by rotating a fluted auger bit. The hammering mechanism is based on the Ultrasonic/Sonic Drill/Corer (USDC) mechanism that has been developed as an adaptable tool for many drilling and coring applications. The USDC uses an intermediate free-flying mass to transform high frequency vibrations of a piezoelectric transducer horn tip into sonic hammering of the drill bit. The USDC concept was used in a previous task to develop an Ultrasonic/Sonic Ice Gopher and then integrated into a rotary hammer device to develop the Auto-Gopher-I. The lessons learned from these developments are being integrated into the development of the Auto-Gopher-II, an autonomous deep wireline drill with integrated cuttings and sample management and drive electronics. Subsystems of the wireline drill are being developed in parallel at JPL and Honeybee Robotics Ltd. This paper presents the development efforts of the piezoelectric actuator, cuttings removal and retention flutes and drive electronics.

Badescu, Mircea↗

NASA NTRS2018

Auto-Gopher-II – A wireline rotary-hammer ultrasonic drill that operates autonomously

An important challenge of exploring the solar system is the ability to penetrate at great depths the subsurface of planetary bodies for sample collection. The requirements of the drilling system are minimal mass, volume and energy consumption. To address this challenge, a deep drill, called the Auto-Gopher II, is currently being developed as a joint effort between JPL’s NDEAA laboratory and Honeybee Robotics Corp. The Auto-Gopher II is a wireline rotaryhammer drill that combines breaking formations by hammering using a piezoelectric actuator and removing the cuttings by rotating a fluted bit. The hammering is produced by the Ultrasonic/Sonic Drill/Corer (USDC) mechanism that has been developed by the JPL team as an adaptable tool for many drilling and coring applications. The USDC uses an intermediate free-flying mass to convert high frequency vibrations of a piezoelectric transducer horn tip into sonic hammering of the drill bit. The USDC concept was used in a previous task to develop an Ultrasonic/Sonic Ice Gopher and then integrated into a rotary hammer device to develop the Auto-Gopher-I. The lessons learned from these developments are being integrated into the development of the Auto-Gopher-II, an autonomous deep wireline drill with integrated cuttings and sample management and drive electronics. In this paper the latest development will be reviewed including the piezoelectric actuator, cuttings removal and retention flutes and drive electronics.

Paulsen, Gale L.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

A Drilling Mission to Search for Biosignatures of Life on Mars Simulated in Atacama Chile

Missions to search for evidence of life on Mars, including Mars Science Laboratory(MSL)are using drilling systems to get beneath the high oxidized and radiated surface where biomolecules may be preserved. MSL drill holes show that even at shallow depth the subsurface is more reduced and therefor more likely to preserve biosignatures. Analysis of these reduced materials yielded the first detection of organic carbon compounds on Mars[1].While MSL was capable of drilling only 10 cm, the ExoMars mission now planned for a 2022 launch will feature a rover carrying a 2 m drill, motivated by desire to penetrate beneath the irradiated surface. The Atacama Rover Astrobiology Drilling Studies(ARADS)was a PSTAR project that used flight prototype technologies in a highly relevant Mars analog site, together with related scientific studies, to better understand how to best search for life on Mars. ARADS field work was performed in Atacama Chile and featured a rover-mounted 1.2m auguring drill to acquire subsurface samples that were analyzed with flight prototype instruments designed to search for chemical signatures of life.

C R Stoker↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Field and Lab Testing With Trident Drill to Help Prepare for Future Missions

Field work with instrumentation and technologies that are planned for flight missions is an important means to gain understanding that improves mission performance. This paper reports on results from field workin lunar analog volcanic terrain using an engineering model of the Honeybee Robotics TRIDENT (The Regolith and Ice Drill for Exploration of New Terrains)drill[1]. TRIDENT is a rotary percussive 1-meter class drill that is carried on the PRIME-1and VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover)[2] missions to the moon scheduled to launch in 2024. A similar drilling system was planned for the proposed IcebreakerDiscovery class mission to Mars[3]and the Mars Life Explorer mission recommended by the 2020 Decadal Survey of planetary science[4].The field work objectives were (1) to use data collected by the drill for operational purposes as a probe of subsurface material properties in formations that are analogous to those that may be encountered on planetary surfaces; (2) to correlate subsurface structures deduced by drilling with those inferred from interpretations ofGround Penetrating Radar (GPR)data

C R Stoker↗

DOE OSTI2019

Variable rate compliance modules, assemblies and tools for suppression of drilling vibrations

A suppression module, a suppression assembly, and a drilling tool are disclosed. The suppression module includes a spindle having a first end and a second end, an ear plate slideably disposed between the first end and the second end, a spring positioned between the ear plate and the first end, and an activation mechanism coaxially disposed around the second end of the spindle. The activation mechanism engages the ear plate, activating the spring, or disengages the ear plate, deactivating the spring. The suppression assembly includes at least two suppression modules in series coupled to a processor. The suppression modules are activated or deactivated by the processor, each of the suppression modules being activated or deactivated independent of the other suppression modules. The drilling tool includes a drill pipe, a drill bit, a vibration sensor, and a suppression assembly between the drill pipe and the drill bit.

Raymond, David W.↗

DOE OSTI2018

Toward Super Hot EGS: The Newberry Deep Drilling Project

Newberry Volcano in Central Oregon is an extensively studied volcano that contains one of the largest geothermal heat reservoirs in the western United States. The detailed characterization of this continental volcanic system reveals it is an excellent choice for drilling a well that will reach temperatures greater than 450°C at relatively shallow depths (< 5000 m). The main purpose of the Newberry Deep Drilling Project (NDDP) is to test the feasibility of super-hot EGS where super critical fluid can be produced with a higher energy compared to conventional EGS. NDDP will be located at an idle geothermal exploration well, NWG 46-16, drilled in 2008 on the western flank of the volcano. The project has several main goals: test EGS above the critical point of water; collect samples of rocks within the brittle-ductile transition zone; investigate volcanic hazards; study geomechanics in plastic rock and test technology for drilling, well completion, and geophysical monitoring. The well NWG 46-16, now 3500 m deep and 340-374°C at bottom, will be deepened another 1000 to 1300 m to reach 500°C into the supercritical region, and potentially approaching the brittle-ductile transition or even zones of partial melt. The original well was drilled with lost circulation zones only at very shallow depth and the temperature profile indicates conductive heat flow. Compared to other super-hot geothermal projects worldwide, this well would return more materials (cuttings, core and fluids) with more predictable drilling conditions, thus providing a suite of data near and across the brittle-ductile transition in silica-rich rocks. The well will be completed with casing and cement designed and tested to withstand the abuses of thermal cycling, hydraulic and thermal stimulation, and flow of supercritical fluids. Geothermal, volcanic, geophysical, and engineering information gained will be widely applicable to other magmatically active areas throughout the Pacific Rim and beyond.

EGS, supercritical, Newberry Volcano, brittle-duct↗

DOE OSTI2022

Control systems and methods to enable autonomous drilling

A system or method for drilling includes autonomously controlling a rotary or percussive drilling process as it transitions through multiple materials with very different dynamics. The method determines a drilling medium based on real-time measurements and comparison to prior drilling data, and identifies the material type, drilling region, and approximately optimal setpoint based on data from at least one operating condition. The controller uses these setpoints initially to execute an optimal search to maximize performance by minimizing mechanical specific energy. Near-bit depth-of-cut estimations are performed using a machine learning prediction deployed in an embedded processor to provide high-speed ROP estimates. The sensing capability is coupled with a near-bit clutching mechanism to support drilling dysfunction mitigation.

Buerger, Stephen↗

DOE OSTI2023

Control systems and methods to enable autonomous drilling

Buerger, Stephen↗

DOE OSTI2020

Laboratory Drilling Test Data of PDC bits with Sierra White Granite Rock

This file contains unprocessed drilling data tests on Sierra White Granite (SWG) using two new PDC bits. The tests were conducted at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) in the Hard Rock Drilling Facility (HRDF). The collected data includes ROP data at rotational speeds of 80, 120, and 160 RPMs, with incremental weight on bit (WOB) up to 5100 lbs. The diameter of the 4-bladed and 5-bladed PDC bits was 3 3/4" and supplied by National Oilwell Varco (NOV). Five tests modes were conducted for both bits, which are as follow: (1) Rigid configuration, with no vibration compliance (2) Flywheel configuration (3) Torsional compliance configuration (4) Axial Compliance configuration (5) Combined Axial and Torsional compliance configuration Note: the WOB and torque in the drilling data should be calibrated by zeroing the WOB and torque when the drill bit tags the rock sample.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2021

Hard Rock Drilling Optimization Software

The main objective of the developed software is to reduce the cost per foot during drilling, in other words, optimize the drilling operational parameters in achieving optimum ROP while avoiding critical operational parameters due to either low ROP, drillstring vibration, accelerated cutter wear, or low MSE. The developed software can also be used for post-well analysis to provide insight and lessons learned for future drilling operations. Several functions are available in the software to help the user perform drilling analysis, optimization, and simulation.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2020

Uncertainty evaluation for twist drilling stability model

This paper describes the first uncertainty analysis for drilling stability using a frequency-domain drilling stability model. The stability model inputs include: the modal parameters for the torsional-axial vibration mode from the twist drill-holder-spindle axial frequency response function; and the mechanistic coefficients that relate the torque and thrust force to chip area for the selected drill-workpiece material combination. Furthermore, Monte Carlo simulation is applied to propagate the input uncertainties to output uncertainty in the predicted stability map, which separates stable from unstable (chatter) zones in the spindle speed-chip width parameter space. Additionally, the mean stability boundary and its 95% confidence intervals are determined for five cases: varying all four inputs simultaneously and varying them individually. This enables the individual sensitivities to be compared. Experimental results from drilling tests are included for comparison to the prediction. Additionally, Matlab code is provided to implement the stability model and Monte Carlo uncertainty analysis.

42 ENGINEERING↗