Second coldest month on record at the South Pole

[Anonymous]

Second coldest month on record at the South Pole - 23 Sep 2004 – “We missed the coldest month ever recorded here at the Pole by only six tenths of a degree - minus 89.0 degrees Fahrenheit recorded in August 1987,” says Troy Wiles, a member of the medical team at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station.

Survival hinges on power plant

South Pole, Antarctica - We made it through July with everyone intact. Some people are becoming sensitive and irritable, but for the most part, everyone is doing well.
The Fourth of July passed quietly for us. It was a typical two-day weekend in that most of us laid low and relaxed noting that we only get one two-day weekend monthly, so we like to relax and savor the moments. As the volunteer Recreation Coordinator, I played two movies in the galley on the big screen for the entertainment of all. Feeling gracious this day, I served the unwitting audience three-year-old microwavable popcorn. I had to pop twice as much because the bags would only produce half the amount of popcorn per bag that a fresh bag would make, if it popped at all. The short of it is, they all seemed to enjoy it, and I kept smiling and serving.
One could argue which part of the station is the most important. But, I think all of us here would agree that the power plant would top the list.
Our lives are dependent upon the power plant, which provides all heat and electricity to the station 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Ironically, it is a fellow Michigander who is responsible for the power plant this year.
Dennis Calhoun, originally from Detroit, has been residing in Rapid City, Mich., for the past 15 years. His official title here at Pole is Power Plant Mechanic. He is responsible for maintaining all generators, doing routine maintenance, and solving and repairing emergency problems. Dennis has wintered twice at Pole, including this winter, and has done a summer as well. He is also a fellow member of the 300 Club.
We are all responsible for doing power plant rounds. These rounds are done every two hours, every day of the year. We maintain three main generators: one online, one in standby in case of failure and one in routine or unscheduled maintenance.
These generators supply electricity and heat to the entire station and surrounding science buildings. The exception is Summer Camp, which is a collection of military Jamesways that are used to house people only during the summer.
These generators are rated at one megawatts each, and are powered by Caterpillar 3158 cubic inch diesel engines and a peaker unit. Because of the altitude here on the Antarctic ice cap (physical altitude 9,300 ft; physiological altitude can reach over 12,000 ft), they are rated at 750 kilowatts each. At this altitude, there is not enough oxygen to allow for the engines to produce their maximum rated power. Each engine produces 1478 hp at 1200 rpms when supplying an average of 625 kilowatts per hour. At this rate, each engine consumes approximately 47 gallons of AN8 (special aircraft diesel fuel) per hour. The heat produced from these generators is used to heat glycol, which is then pumped out to the new station and outlying science buildings, where amazingly small radiators are used to extract heat to warm the environment.
Only one engine is run at a time, except when the stations power exceeds 650 kilowatts per hour. At this point, the Caterpillar 893 cubic inch 414 hp peaking unit automatically starts, and because of the altitude, will produce and additional 240 kilowatts. The peaking generator will automatically turn off when the power consumption decreases to 650 kilowatts per hour or less for more than 30 minutes.
Our average energy consumption this winter has been 627 kilowatts per hour. The maximum this winter was 700 kilowatts per hour.
Routine maintenance is very important in this remote area. The oil and oil filters are changed every thousand hours. This is no small chore, for each generator requires 165 gallons of oil and nine oil filters with each changing.
If an alarm sounds suggesting a fire in the power plant, you have 20 seconds to turn off the alarm or evacuate the area before the automatic extinguishing systems engage to fill the room with carbon dioxide, removing all oxygen from the area. This will put out the fire, and you, if you fail to remove yourself from the room.
If there is a catastrophic event that destroys the new power plant, we have located in the new station two Caterpillar 3406 cubic inch 400 hp generators that will produce 240 kilowatts per engine. If these engines are engaged, we are in survival mode and no electricity or heat will be provided to the outlying science buildings. As you can see, the power plant is an extremely vital part of the South Pole Station.
Weather update: We set a record average low in July - minus 88.4 degrees Fahrenheit. The previous coldest month of July was minus 86.8 degrees Fahrenheit recorded in 1997. Our July average was the second coldest month ever at the South Pole. We missed the coldest month ever recorded here at the Pole by only six tenths - minus 89.0 degrees Fahrenheit recorded in August 1987.
It is now mid-August, and we can see a faint glow on the horizon. It is not a myth. The sun does return to the apex of the southern hemisphere after a long, cold, dark winter. It is exciting to see it grow brighter each week.
We now have less than three moths to go. The first plane is scheduled into Pole on October 23. Of course, this date is weather dependent, so we are not holding our breaths.
As you recall from a previous column, the temperature must be above minus 54 degrees Fahrenheit for the LC-130 cargo plane to land. Otherwise, the fuel may gel, and they would be stuck at Pole with us. This would be a challenging experience. Strangers invading our space, and we having no way out.
Again, thanks to all for taking interest in the South Pole Notebook.
Cheers from the Pole!
Troy Wiles, a 38-year-old physician's assistant from Frankfort, is part of a two-member medical team caring for researchers and staff at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station for a year. He is writing a journal for the Record-Eagle describing life at the pole. Write him at Troy.Wiles@usap.gov.

[storm4u]

Wow that is really cold! Thanks for sharing that.