Modeling of hot-point drilling in ice

Abstract Hot-point drills have been widely used for drilling boreholes in glaciers, ice caps and sheets. A hot-point drill melts through the thermal head at its bottom end. Penetration occurs a close-contact melting (CCM) process, which is melted, meltwater squeezed out by exerted force applied on head. During drilling, thin water film formed to separate from surrounding ice. For drill, rate of penetration (ROP) influenced several variables, such as shape, buoyancy corrected (BCF), power (or temperature) temperature. In this study, we developed model describe CCM where constant or temperature working surface assumed. The was using COMSOL Multiphysics 5.3a software evaluate effects different variables process. It discovered that effect shape cone angle conical ROP less significant, whereas increase BCF can continuously enhance ROP.