29 NOVEMBER 2024 WorldWide Drilling Resource® GeoStar 2.0 is Officially in Operations Adapted from Information by the Bochum University of Applied Sciences The Bochum University in Bochum, Germany, has put a scientific attraction on-site of the campus between two buildings. What appears from the outside as a stylish seating group with a small plexiglass dome in the middle, is a sunken circular room in the ground, in which 12 geothermal probes come together to heat or cool the lecture hall according to the outside temperature. Vice President Professor Dr. Jörg Frochte described the GeoStar 2.0 as a prime example of sustainable solutions, as the university often realizes in its research. It opens up the view of this otherwise invisible process, making it recognizable and tangible. The dome can be opened to a spiral staircase which leads to a cylindrical distribution shaft, where the 12 probes (each about 400 feet long) come together. The central component, a large plastic cylinder, was donated by Kubatec Kunststoffbautechnik GmbH (out of the initiative, connections, coating, etc.) and WiRoTec HENZE GmbH (molded part) from Troisdorf, whose employees were present at the opening of GeoStar 2.0. With this geothermal window, it is now possible to illustrate the functioning of the geothermal care system for the largest and most modern lecture hall at the university. Drill master Jonas Güldenhaupt opened the glass dome into the interior of the geothermal distribution shaft. ENV The New 700 Drill System Ready for Action Adapted from Information by the U.S. Ice Drill Program The final U.S. Ice Drilling Program (IDP) science requirements for the 700 Drill, along with the detailed design completed and reviewed in November 2021, and the U.S. National Science Foundation approval to move forward with fabrication of the drill, was granted in 2022. In February and March, IDP engineers spent some time at the University of Wisconsin Madison Physical Sciences Lab (PSL), putting the 700 Drill winch and control system through its paces. The winch and tower were set up over a cased hole in the ground, and a portion of the drill sonde and a weight were attached to the cable. IDP Electrical Engineer Umberto Stefanini spent several days inside a tent, working to test and troubleshoot the control system. Following the outdoor testing, the drill tent was set up inside an adjacent facility at PSL. In April, the drill was set up at the IDP facility for final in-house testing of the control software, slide rail assembly for laying the drill down, the core handling, and chips/fluid handling trays and assemblies. The drill was disassembled, and packing began for shipment to Scotia, New York, in early May. It will be tested and used at Summit Station in Greenland, to support Principal Investigator Eric Saltzman’s project. The 700 Drill console or operator’s panel shown inside the 700 Drill tent. Photo by Umberto Stefanini.
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