3D Design Plays Key Role in Antarctic Expedition

By DE Editors

A British expedition to Lake Ellsworth in Antarctica is using Autodesk digital prototyping software to help discover new answers about the evolution of life and effects of climate change.

British Antarctic Survey (BAS) engineers will transport equipment overland for three days to the sub-glacial lake, where they will use a hot water drill to melt a 2.2-mile hole in the ice covering the submerged lake to extract water samples. The team will have a very short window of 24 hours to gather their samples before the hole re-freezes.

Using Autodesk's digital prototyping and simulation software, the BAS engineers were able to create digital models of the required drills, simulate the conditions under which they will work, test and analyze their approach, and make necessary adjustments before they embark on their expedition.

"This is hot water drilling on a scale never achieved before," said Andy Tait, the BAS engineer managing the design of the hot water drill. "Because everything will have to be done so quickly, it is vital that we create an accurate 3D model of the entire drilling operation and simulate its performance because there will be no room for error once we are out on the ice."

As a participant in the Autodesk Clean Tech Partner Program, BAS received Autodesks digital prototyping portfolio, including Autodesk Showcase and Autodesk Inventory Publisher. Tait will use Autodesk Inventor Publisher to visually and interactively communicate how the drills and its components work to colleagues and partners.

For more information, visit Autodesk.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company's website.