Structure maintenance experience and the need to control the soils thermal regime in permafrost areas

• Main Authors: Anatolii V. Brushkov, Andrei G. Alekseev, Svetlana V. Badina, Dmitrii S. Drozdov, Vladimir A. Dubrovin, Oleg V. Zhdaneev, Mikhail N. Zheleznyak, Vladimir P. Melnikov, Sergei N. Okunev, Aleksei B. Osokin, Nikolai A. Ostarkov, Marat R. Sadurtinov, Dmitrii O. Sergeev, Roman Yu. Fedorov, Konstantin N. Frolov
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English; Russian
• Published: Saint-Petersburg Mining University 2023
• Subjects: cryolithozone; permafrost soils; background monitoring; geotechnical monitoring; thermal stabilization; facility operation; Mining engineering. Metallurgy; TN1-997; Arctic; Yamal Peninsula; Climate change; permafrost
• Online Access: https://doaj.org/article/17a273e015ac4c018f633cb31f1bdf9e

The risks of reducing the stability of buildings and structures are increasing in conditions of climate change and the active development of the territories under the influence of natural and anthropogenic factors. The main causes include: loss of the bearing capacity of frozen soils, various geocryological processes, errors at the stages of design, construction and operation of facilities. Main actual task when conducting research and industrial operations in the cryolithozone is monitoring and, if necessary, managing thermal processes in the permafrost layers interacting with facilities. In this article the obtained positive experience of various technologies applying at various stages of the life cycle of civil and industrial facilities was analyzed. It helps to eliminate or prevent the structure deformation or destruction under the influence of climate change. The methods of permafrost stabilization used in the oil and gas industry in process of industrial infrastructure development of the fields have been studied – freezing (cooling) of foundation soils during construction on heterogeneous foundations. The solution to the problems of minimizing accidents when locating production wells in the permafrost zone of the Yamal Peninsula is considered using the example of an oil and gas condensate field and restoring of the temperature regime of perennial unfrozen soils in areas of valve units of main gas pipelines. An assessment of methods used to maintain the industrial and residential infrastructure within the northern municipalities that ensure the functioning of the fuel and energy complex of the Russian Federation in the Arctic was made. The systems of thermal stabilization in the foundations of buildings and industrial facilities built and operated on permafrost soils allow to fully use the high strength and low deformability of frozen grounds. It ensures the state's long-term plans of the industrial development in the Arctic.