The Ice Diver – Exploring Earth's Oldest Ice with Magna-Power

At Magna-Power, we take pride in seeing our products power innovative and groundbreaking–or in this case, glacier-breaking–projects. At the University of Washington’s Applied Physics Laboratory, a team of researchers have developed the Ice Diver, a completely new scientific instrument, as part of a cutting-edge endeavor aimed at uncovering and studying Earth's oldest ice. The research team reported that the Ice Diver, powered by Magna-Power’s high voltage TS Series power supplies, completed a successful experiment at the summit of Greenland Glacier this past Spring, setting its future sights on Antarctic ice dating back over a million years.

The Ice Diver Probe

The Ice Diver probe is an innovative scientific instrument designed for deep ice exploration. Measuring 2.5 inches in diameter and 11 feet long, the probe features a heated tip that melts its way down through the ice at a rate of 3.14 meters per hour; in this initial experiment, reaching a depth of 1,200 feet. As the probe descends, it autonomously collects vital data, including temperature changes and dust layer measurements. This information is crucial for dating the ice and identifying continuous ice sections that date back over a million years.

Equipped with a variety of measurement devices and sensors, the Ice Diver detects the amount of dust in the ice, which correlates with historical atmospheric conditions, such as colder periods and volcanic eruptions. This cutting-edge approach allows researchers to estimate the age of the ice without retrieving cores to the surface. This new technology simplifies the complex and resource-intensive process of ice drilling, providing unprecedented access to subglacial data.

Demanding Power Supply Requirements

A tethered load thousands of feet long in sub-freezing temperatures presents–to put it mildly–unique challenges for a power supply. The Ice Diver project required power supplies that could compensate for the voltage drop of the probe’s long tether, necessitating a very high voltage DC output. Additionally, the floating load required an isolated high voltage DC output. Extreme sub-freezing temperatures demanded an extended ambient operating temperature range. Finally, transporting equipment to remote locations like Greenland and Antarctica also required extended shock and vibration ratings.

Powered by Magna-Power

Magna-Power met these demanding requirements with its high voltage TS Series product. The TS Series was well-suited for the cold environment, with a standard ambient operating temperature rating down to -25ºC. With floating outputs offered up to 6,000 Vdc and power ratings ranging from 5 kW to 100 kW, along with extensive experience in applying high voltage power supplies to tethered loads for traditional drilling and tethered vehicles, Magna-Power provided researchers a comprehensive array of options and resources to draw from. In addition, with programmable voltage and current settings, both from the front panel and over Ethernet, the researchers were able to precisely control the power at the probe tip. After reviewing the application with Magna-Power's internal application engineers, an existing build-time modification (+MOD5) was used to enhance internal ruggedization and mechanical upgrades for higher shock and vibration resistance.

The researchers selected two TSD4000-2.4/208+LXI+MOD5 models, with an output rated for 0-4000 Vdc (floating) and 0-2.4 Adc, LXI TCP/IP Ethernet and the +MOD5 build-time ruggedization modification. The power supplies, when setup inside the researcher’s tent, were fondly referred to as their “Tower of Power.”

While the requirements were demanding, the successful deployment of the TS Series units demonstrated that Magna-Power products are designed to meet even the toughest challenges. The team at Magna-Power was pleased to hear about a successful experiment in Greenland and looks forward to supporting the University of Washington Applied Physics Laboratory researchers on their future programs.