Pacific Pile: Plamer Station Project

Project Overview

In November of 2021, Pacific Pile started a project to build a new pier at Palmer Station in Antartica using Holte Manufacturing Drilling Tools.  

Pacific Pile is a heavy civil and marine contractor who has had over 100 years of combined experience in the industry. Since their specialty is working in complex and remote locations, Pacific Pile was the perfect fit for a job in Antartica– the definition of complex and remote.  

Palmer Station is located on Anvers Island, north of the Artic Circle, and has an average temperature during the year of –3° Celsius. Anvers Island is one of the primary research locations for the National Science Foundation, where they research all kinds of marine life. Right before Pacific Pile was contacted for this project, the NSF found Jarosite on the island, which is a rare mineral on Earth often found on Mars.

The new pier is larger than the original pier at 80ft x 118ft which allows bigger ships to come to Anvers Island. This big expansion will allow for more research capacity for NSF. This expansion will also create a safer and more efficient environment for those on the island.  

The Tools

Pacific Pile approached this project with nothing but excitement! They knew that this was going to be a tough project to complete with the extreme conditions on the island. They had one chance to make this project work, so everything needed to go smooth. When determining what tools to use for this project, Pacific Pile thought about Holte Manufacturing for some of their needs due to their durable and long-lasting tools as well as the exceptional service Holte has delivered to them in the past. 

When Pacific Pile was asked why they chose Holte products for this project, they said that Holte drill pipe is the “best in class” and Holte uses some of the “best material and equipment out there”. Pacific Pile strives to support companies that have products that have the Made in America label which is another reason why Holte was a top choice. The key for this project was Holte’s ability to meet a tight and immovable sail date. There was literally only one shot at the palmer station project! 

Holte Manufacturing provided two Top Head Drives with 8 inch discharges, 11.2 Hex Joint Reverse Circulation Pipe, and a partial Reverse Circulation System consisting of a Cuttings Interchange which goes above any manufacturers conventional down hole hammer. 

The Top Head Drive that Pacific Pile used was a 6000 series which has recently been replaced with the new Mutidrive. Both tools are high torque and reverse circulation ready. This allowed Pacific Pile to drill in the extreme conditions they faced. The Top Head Drive was a major contributor to the ability to complete this project in a timely manner.

Holte’s Hex Joint Reverse Circulation Pipe is quick release which allows for a quicker assembly and disassembly process. This is critical for jobs—like the palmer station project—where companies have a tight deadline to abide by. Most importantly, the high torque capacity and extreme durability from Holte’s machining fabrication and in-house heat treat process means they could count on the pipe to get the job done.

The Partial Reverse Circulation system was critical in the convenience for this job. A Cuttings Interchange —which allows you to switch from conventional drilling system to get some of the perks of a Reverse Circulation system—was important for this job because it allowed for faster and further drilling. By using this modified RC system, Pacific Pile was able to use the tools to extend the drill string to go past the pile tip and anchor the load bearing piles.

The Drilling

Pacific Pile was tasked with Drilling on two fronts: drill on land and drill on the barge—so they did both simultaneously. 

With much of the assembly and collection of tools being done before hand, and being sent on a barge to palmer station, Pacific Pile was ready to get drilling when they arrived in January of 2022. 

Holte’s Tools were heavily used in the installation of the foundation and support piles for the pile supported structure at Palmer Station. Pacific Pile was unable to visit the site before the start of the project and the rock was substantially harder than originally expected. When they arrived, they realized that the rock that was supposed to be around 17,500 PSI was actually closer to 25,000-27,000 PSI. During the drilling process, Holte’s tools were integral in the efficiency of the project due to drilling speed and the robustness of the system that was provided. After the beating that the tools experienced on this job, Holte’s tools are still in great condition and ready for the next job! 

The Outcomes

The Pacific Pile Palmer Station project finished up at the end of April in 2022. The achievement in this project was exciting for Pacific Pile because they finished under budget and ahead of schedule, despite delays . They give credit for this to the meticulous project planning, support from all the teams who were invested, some of the best drillers in the world and the wonderful manufacturing partnerships they had.  The reconstruction of Palmer station is the first step in replacing, redesigning, and updating of this Critical U.S. National Science Foundation research location.