The subglacial Lake Vostok in Antarctic is a unique natural phenomenon, its comprehensive study involves sampling of water and bottom surface rocks. For further study of the lake, it is necessary to drill a new access well and develop environmentally safe technologies for its exploration. This article discusses existing and potential technologies for sampling bottom surface rocks of subglacial lakes. All these technologies meet environmental safety requirements and are conducive for sampling. The authors have proposed an alternative technology, using a walking device, which, due to its mobility, enables selective sampling of rocks across a large area from a single access well. The principal issues, related to the implementation of the proposed technology, are investigated within this article. This report is prepared by a team of specialists with many years of experience in drilling at the Vostok Station in Antarctic and in experimental work on the design of equipment and non-standard means of mechanization for complicated mining, geological and climatic conditions.
The paper reviews challenges associated with designing of equipment required to implement the selected technology of penetration into Subglacial Lake Vostok in Antarctica. It describes the design process of inertial mechanical reamer, which is required for one of the stages of the proposed penetration technology. The initial design of the reamer was developed, manufactured and tested in Borehole 5G during the seasonal shift period of the 62nd Russian Antarctic Expedition (December 2016 – January 2017). Based on the test results the reamer design was critically reviewed, enhanced and subsequently tested in Borehole 5G during the seasonal shift period of the 63rd Russian Antarctic Expedition (December 2017 – January 2018). Tests of the improved design of the mechanical reamer confirmed that the adopted design solutions are correct.
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