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

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. ？ 2023, The Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.