Lake Ellsworth Project for British Antarctic Survey

The winch and it’s level-wind (behind) and head sheave are located in a clean room inside the container and kept sterile by fumigation from the control room also inside the container. The umbilical cable for the hot water drill runs across the roof from a level-wind behind the winch to the head sheave with load cell. Onto this connects an airlock in the bore-hole (well head) to maintain sterility in the ice.
The container is wheel mounted on a track such that it can be presented over the hole or withdrawn from it. There‘s a U-slot in the container floor.

This project was done ‘against the clock’ in 5-6 weeks. The equipment over-wintered on the Antarctic ice before use the following season.