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Palmer Station
Project type
Geotechnical Investigations
Date
2016
Location
Antarctic Peninsula
Client
United States Antarctic Programme
Project
Palmer Station, Antarctica Geotechnical Investigations
Summary
The United States Antarctic Program (USAP) engaged Webster Drilling, in conjunction with Golder, to undertake a geotechnical investigation at Palmer Station, located on Anvers Island near the Antarctic Peninsula. The crew travelled from New Zealand to Punta Arenas, Chile, where they and the equipment boarded the USAP vessel Laurence M. Gould for the journey across the Drake Passage to Palmer Station.
Project requirements
The timing of this project meant the team was working in June, with only a few hours of daylight each day, so they worked under lights for much of the project.
The project required all boreholes to be cored using drilling fluids. Drilling with freezable fluids in these temperatures is extremely difficult.
The drilling rig and equipment underwent extensive modifications to handle the extreme cold temperatures of Antarctica. All research and development of the rig and equipment has been carried out by our own team over many years of working in below-freezing conditions.
Delivery
Due to Webster Drilling’s experience working in these extreme conditions, all targets were met and the project was successfully completed.
