Alaska Operations, Year in
Review
Max Enders
Transportable Array Alaska
Station Deployment Coordinator
AOC Update and Milestones 2015
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AOC Review – Who and What’s new in Alaska?
TA Alaska 2015 Station Deployment Update – The
Good, The Bad and The Ugly.
TA Alaska 2016 – Pre-Deployment Planning and
Milestones
AOC Overview – What’s new?
• Alaska Operations Center
• Anchorage, AK
• Two warehouses
• ≈5000 Sq Ft
• Neighbors with fellow
Earthscopers UNAVCO.
AOC Overview – What Happens There?
AOC Overview – Who works there?
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TA Staff in Alaska (Current 10/2015)
• Anchorage -• Jeremy Miner - IRIS
• Ryan Bierma - IRIS
• Mike Couch - IRIS
• Doug Bloomquist - IRIS
• Bob Pierce - Honeywell
• Alison Craig - RECON
• Max Enders – IRIS
• Cinder and Darwin– The
Dog(s)
• Fairbanks UAF
• Molly Staats
• Helena Buurmann
• Canada
• Mike Schmidt
• Helicopters
• Andy – Alpine
• Drew – Pathfinder
• Drillers
• Josh – Geotek
AOC Update and Milestones 2015
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AOC Review – Who and What’s new in Alaska?
TA Alaska 2015 Station Deployment Update – The
Good, The Bad and The Ugly.
TA Alaska 2016 – Pre-Deployment Planning and
Milestones
AOC 2014 Update
19 Stations installed in 2014
AOC 2014 Update
ATA Footprint = 19 Stations through 2014
To A36M and C36M
2015 The Original Plan
• 36 “New” Fully
Autonomous
Stations
AOC 2015 Update
Transportable Array Alaska 2015
ATA Footprint 2015 = 110 Stations*
32 New Autonomous Stations
8 Upgrades at AEC sites (7 new boreholes)
*Includes Certified Existing Stations
2015 Challenges
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The good, the bad, and the ugly
Negative Impact to Schedule = 4 main categories
• Fires
• Drill Problems
• Weather – Good wx this summer = low impact this
year.
• Other Equipment Failures
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Net result = slightly behind schedule in AK, but slightly
ahead of schedule in Canada (5 planned, 6 completed).
2015 Challenges
DOI Interagency Fire Map – 6/23/2015
2015 Fires
• 5 Million Acres
• 2nd largest in AK history
Impact to AK TA
• 1 station total loss M22K
• Sockeye Crk. Fire
• Several Changes in Schedule
• H22K
• Delta Jct.
• McGrath
• Denali Upgrades
2015 Challenges
2015 Challenges
2015 Challenges
M22K Willow – Before Sockeye Fire
2015 Challenges
M22K Willow – After Sockeye Fire
2015 Challenges
M22K Willow – The Phoenix
2015 Challenges
H22K – Plans Change
2015 Challenges
H22K – Plans Change
2015 Challenges
Drilling –
•Two Drills – Silver and Red
•Red = Dual Purpose Auger/Hammer
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Separate Air Compressor req. for hammer
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2 Helicopter Slings
•Silver = Single Purpose Hammer Only
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Integrated Custom Air Compressor
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Single Helicopter Sling
•40 Boreholes Complete this season*
*6 Canada sites used custom ATA Hammer, but driller
provided drill rig.
•Drilling Difficulties
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Mechanical Breakdown
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Silver Drill – Air Compressor problems
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Parts Failures – Kohler engines
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Electrical Problems
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“New” drilling system
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Low flow, light weight = unforgiving
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Steep learning curve with both rigs
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2015 first season of “production drilling”
•Overall Impact to Schedule
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2 sites where drilling failed and had to be re-visited
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Q19K and I26K – Both helicopter access
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Several days lost to drill swaps
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Mechanical failure = drill needed to be taken
out of the field.
2015 Challenges
I26K Coal Creek
L19K
Difficult Drilling
P18K
Spider Gear
Failure
2015 Challenges
I26K Coal Creek
AOC Update and Milestones 2015
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•
•
AOC Review – Who and What’s new in Alaska?
TA Alaska 2015 Station Deployment Update – The
Good, The Bad and The Ugly.
TA Alaska 2016 – Pre-Deployment Planning and
Milestones
2016 The Future
2016 The Future