Melting Performance Telemetry of the TRIPLE-IceCraft Melting Probe on the Ekström Ice Shelf, Antarctica

Publishing Network for Geoscientific and Environmental Data (PANGAEA) (Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research)

Abstract

This dataset contains operational telemetry recorded during the TRIPLE-IceCraft technical demonstration conducted in the 2023/2024 field season. The experiment was carried out near Neumayer Station III, approximately 1 km south of the edge of the Ekström Ice Shelf. During the campaign, the TRIPLE-IceCraft melting probe successfully drilled a vertical borehole to a final depth of 53 m. The IceCraft is equipped with an internal cable storage system that unspools the cable in a controlled manner during descent, ensuring a constant contact pressure on the melting surface. The controlled parameter is the tensile force acting on the cable, which is anchored to a surface crane. The probe features a forward melting head for downward melting, a rear melting head enabling upward re-melting during recovery, and side heater elements to prevent refreezing to the melt channel walls. The dataset provides time-resolved measurements of probe depth, feedrate, applied cable force, total electrical power consumption, and calculated front melting head power. The reported total power represents the combined electrical power of all onboard systems, including melting heads and side heaters, while the calculated melting head power corresponds exclusively to the forward melting head. These data document the temporal evolution of the melting process and the interaction between the probe and the surrounding ice under real conditions.

Authors 9

1. Simon Zierke Aachen

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen

2. Jan Audehm Aachen

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen

3. Mia Giang Do Aachen

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen

4. Clemens Espe Aachen

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen

5. Marco Feldmann Aachen

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen

6. Gero Francke Aachen

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen

7. D. Heinen Aachen

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen

8. Fabian Schöttler Aachen

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen

9. Christopher Wiebusch Aachen

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen