Million Year Ice Core Drill System Mechanical Technician

Description:

The Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) is part of the Commonwealth Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. As primary agency for Australia's Antarctic Program (AAP), the AAD is responsible for achieving the Australian Government's Antarctic goals.
These goals are to:

• maintain the Antarctic Treaty System and enhance Australia's influence within it
• protect the Antarctic environment
• understand the role of Antarctica in the global climate system
• undertake scientific work of practical, economic and national significance.

The AAD also has responsibility for administering the Australian Antarctic Territory and the Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands.
The Operations and Logistics Branch oversees our operations in Antarctica - supporting people in our year-round research stations and remote field bases. The branch oversees air and sea transport (and the contracts to manage Australia's icebreaker, the RSV Nuyina and Aviation capabilities) to transport expeditioners south and enable them to travel around Antarctica. We have staff with diverse skills, located primarily in Tasmania, in Antarctica and on Macquarie Island.
The Million Year Ice Core (MYIC) project is a multiyear drilling activity being conducted at Dome Concordia North, approximately 1150 kms inland from Casey Station. The project is a key action item of the Australian Antarctic Science Strategic Plan and Australian Antarctic Strategy and 20 Year Action Plan. The objective is to drill, analyse and interpret Antarctica's oldest continuous ice core to improve understanding of past and future climate, carbon cycle and ice sheet stability. Drilling commenced in the 2024-25 and will continue out to 2028-29 season. The MYIC Inland Station drilling camp at Dome C North operates only in summer, for ca. 8 weeks per field season and is supported by a resupply traverse from Casey Station and air access via the nearby French-Italian Dome Concordia station. The project is multi-disciplinary, involving cooperation and collaboration across AAD Branches. The position will report to the MYIC Drill System Engineer.
The key duties of the position include
The mechanical technician will be responsible for maintenance and improvements to the mechanical components of the AAD MYIC deep ice drill and associated drill-system infrastructure including winch and drill tower and drill fluid handling systems. The role includes design, drawing modifications, mechanical manufacture, quality control and documentation. The drill system consists of an 8-m drill sonde with a motor, gear box and cutting head that recovers 3m long 98 mm diameter ice cores. Power and communications to and from the drill are delivered by a twisted-pair cable spooled onto a four-tonne winch that is used to lower and raise the drill sonde in the fluid-filled borehole. A mechanical drill tower is used to tilt the drill from the vertical drilling orientation to the horizontal orientation for ice core extraction.
The Drill Mechanical Technician will be expected to:

• Co-ordinate and undertake servicing, repair and maintenance of mechanical components of the deep ice drill, tower, winch and associated drill-system infrastructure.
• Select and procure and/or design and manufacture new components and equipment as required to meet drill-system requirements in collaboration with other AAD staff and external collaborators.
• Be part of the team operating the deep drill system in Antarctica and take the lead in resolving mechanical issues including operation of machining tools to modify or manufacture components in the field.
• Work with scientists and other staff to tune drill settings and components to optimise ice core quality.
• Maintain a register of drill system mechanical tasks and issues. Contribute to scheduling and planning of drilling, maintenance and cargo activities.
• Select and maintain a suitable inventory of spares for the mechanical components of the drill system.
• Manage and update as required the drill system mechanical engineering documentation
• Build and maintain connections with international collaborators in the ice core drilling community.