Antarctic subglacial drilling rig: Part IV. Electrical and electronic control system

In many cases, the efficiency and safety of a drilling project depend on the reliability of the electrical and electronic control system, as the process progresses without visual access of the operator. The electrical and electronic system provides and regulates the power supply for the drill, colle...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annals of Glaciology
Main Authors: Nan Zhang, Pavel Talalay, Jingbiao Liu, Xiaopeng Fan, Qingpeng Kong, Haibin Yu, Yunchen Liu, Benkun Liu, Da Gong, Xingchen Li, Wei Wu, Jialin Hong, Mikhail Sysoev
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press 2021
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1017/aog.2020.40
https://doaj.org/article/4be0d62e523e410eb867359a7377d71e
Description
Summary:In many cases, the efficiency and safety of a drilling project depend on the reliability of the electrical and electronic control system, as the process progresses without visual access of the operator. The electrical and electronic system provides and regulates the power supply for the drill, collects and monitors the drill data during the whole operating process, and sends and receives the control instructions and feedback signals. The entire system is composed of the surface, borehole and software subsystems. The surface subsystem serves for operating the drilling process, transmitting the drilling and environmental data, and supplying power for the drill motor and downhole control system. The borehole subsystem is generally intended for borehole data acquisition, drill motor control, power regulation and communication. The software subsystem is designed for human–computer interaction, data processing and storage, and programming of signal acquisition and transmission of data. The control system of Antarctic subglacial drilling rig was tested during the 2018–2019 summer season near Zhongshan Station, East Antarctica, in the course of drilling to the bedrock at a depth of 198 m. It exhibited a steady and efficient performance without significant system failures.