Polar ��esearch Center��Jilin University��Changchun 130026��China

Drilling operations in polar regions and mountainous areas are complicated by nature of the extreme environment�� Yet conventional rotary drilling technologies can be used to drill ice for scientific samples and oth- er research�� Due to such reasons as power consumption and weight complications��it is hard to apply a conven- tional rotary drilling rig for glacial exploration�� Use of small��relatively lightweight��portable engine- powered drilling systems in which the drill lifting from the borehole is carried by the winch�� It is reasonable enough for near- surface shallow ice- drilling down to 50 m�� Such systems can be used for near- surface ablation- stakes in- stallation��also temperature measurements at the bottom of active strata layer��revealing of anthropogenic pollu- tion��etc�� The specified used in this research is an auger ice drill powered by a gasoline engine�� At this stage�� it is crucial to choose effective drilling parameters such as weight on bit (WOB) and drill bit rotation rate�� Sen- sors equipped on the rig have measured the main parameters of the drilling process��such as drill speed��WOB�� drill rotation speed��torque and temperature�� This paper addresses research on drilling parameters of engine powered auger ice drill and supplies some recommendations for optimization of any ice- core drilling process��