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Influence of electro-thermal probe tip shape on thin liquid layer evolution and penetration speed in glaciers

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Abstract

This study numerically investigates the dynamic behavior and heat transfer characteristics of electro-thermal drilling probes with five probe-tip shapes by analyzing the evolution of thin molten liquid layers. Commercial code ANSYS Fluent (v.20.2) was used to simulate the melting process with the dynamic mesh technique and estimate the probe velocity for different probe-tip shapes through energy conservation between the heating power and melting rate of surrounding ice. The results revealed that using the cone-shaped probe tip allowed the probe to move faster than the flat or round tip shapes because its molten liquid mass flow rate was higher than the rates of other tip shapes. Moreover, the fastest penetration was achieved using a 30° cone probe tip with the lowest heat flux because the liquid layer thickness and thermal resistance were the smallest.

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Abbreviations

ρ :

Density [kg/m3]

v :

Velocity of fluid [m/s]

μ :

Dynamic viscosity [kg/m · s]

τ :

Stress tensor [Pa]

p :

Pressure [Pa]

k :

Thermal conductivity [W/m · K]

T :

Temperature [K]

H :

Sum of enthalpy [J]

c p :

Specific heat at constant pressure [J/kg · K]

L :

Latent heat [J/kg]

Q :

Heat transfer energy [J]

T mp :

Temperature of melting point [K]

T i :

Initial temperature of ice [K]

T l :

Liquid temperature [K]

δ :

Liquid layer thickness [m]

A b :

Borehole area [m2]

r b :

Borehole radius [m]

v p :

Probe velocity [m/s]

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by a grant from the endowment project of “Development of core technologies of underwater robot ICT for polar under-ice-shelf exploration and remote monitoring” funded by the Korea Research Institute of Ships and Ocean Engineering (PES4390). Also, this research was supported by the Chung-Ang University Graduate Research Scholarship in 2021.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Mechanical Engineering, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, 06974, Korea

    Seung Ho Yeom & Seong Hyuk Lee

  2. Offshore Industries R&BD Center, Korea Research Institute of Ships and Ocean Engineering, Geoje, 53201, Korea

    Kwangu Kang

  3. Ocean System Engineering Research Division, Korea Research Institute of Ships and Ocean Engineering, Daejeon, 34103, Korea

    Jin-Yeong Park

  4. Department of Intelligent Energy and Industry, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, 06974, Korea

    Seong Hyuk Lee

Authors
  1. Seung Ho Yeom
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  2. Kwangu Kang
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  4. Seong Hyuk Lee
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Seong Hyuk Lee.

Additional information

Seung Ho Yeom received his B.S. degree from Chung-Ang University. He is currently M.S. candidate in School of Mechanical Engineering at the Chung-Ang University. His research interests are heat transfer and computational fluid dynamics.

Kwangu Kang received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering Department from Chung-Ang University in Korea. Now, he is a Principal Engineer in Korea Research Institute of Ships & Ocean engineering (KRISO). His research interests are cryobot, reliability evaluation, and risk management in offshore plant.

Jin-Yeong Park received his Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Republic of Korea, in 2011. He joined the Ocean System Engineering Research Division of Korea Research Institute of Ships & Ocean engineering (KRISO) in 2008 as a Research Scientist. His research interests are ultrasound imaging processing, control and design for underwater unmanned vehicles.

Seong Hyuk Lee received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering Department from Chung-Ang University in Korea. Now, he is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering Department at Chung-Ang University. He has various research fields in heat and mass transfer: Interfacial phenomena, evaporation/con-densation heat transfer, SPR visualization, and computational physics.

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Yeom, S.H., Kang, K., Park, JY. et al. Influence of electro-thermal probe tip shape on thin liquid layer evolution and penetration speed in glaciers. J Mech Sci Technol 37, 527–535 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-022-1249-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-022-1249-5

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