Tuesday, December 07, 2004
In-situ Sensor In-situ
Nothing tops off a day like a problem. Sunday was a doozy. Of course on the last hole of the day the drilling committee decided to switch augers from the big bore hole 6" to the little one (1" diameter)... to see how it would do and since we wouldn't be measuring with the big, wide, oxygen sensor... fast forward to an hour later when the thing was completely stuck. The probe was stuck in the ice. Not a big deal they can't be that expensive... $12,000 and brand new... so, it's rescue time. Mike, Loda, Ken, and I stayed out on the lake until 2:30am. It was horrible, we picked up a chainsaw which is the perfect tool for ice cutting and got to within 6 - 8 inches of the bottom of the ice (the ice is ~30" thick) when the darn chainsaw ran out of gas. So, this was about 11:30. In the next three hours the chain roller bar froze up, a bolt fell off the bar (not really good...) and the pull cord mechanism froze up. It was quite the show though with Mike cutting the ice agilely and efficiently, Ken on breaker bar duty, Loda keeping the sensor cable in one piece and me cleaning out the hole.
So, eventually we got the sensor broken free of the ice without losing the breaker bar or the chainsaw the the chilly waters below. A well timed grab by Ken with the ice pick brought the sensor out of the hole where he was able to chip around it and get it out intact.
Highlights of the evening included a general page over the Alpine PA system for Ken (that really got me eating quickly in the cafeteria, I figured if he was paged it couldn't be good)... Sticking the chainsaw bar against my belly to thaw it out (BRRRRRR!)... me keeping the sensor warm after we pulled it out of the hole by once again putting it in my layers... Mike surrounded by a mist of water vapor cutting through the ice and inching closer in his cuts to the sensor
So, eventually we got the sensor broken free of the ice without losing the breaker bar or the chainsaw the the chilly waters below. A well timed grab by Ken with the ice pick brought the sensor out of the hole where he was able to chip around it and get it out intact.
Highlights of the evening included a general page over the Alpine PA system for Ken (that really got me eating quickly in the cafeteria, I figured if he was paged it couldn't be good)... Sticking the chainsaw bar against my belly to thaw it out (BRRRRRR!)... me keeping the sensor warm after we pulled it out of the hole by once again putting it in my layers... Mike surrounded by a mist of water vapor cutting through the ice and inching closer in his cuts to the sensor
