Tunnel Ventilation and Heat Control in Undersnow Camps-Byrd Station, Antarctica.

• Main Author: Hoffman,C. R.
• Other Authors: NAVAL CIVIL ENGINEERING LAB PORT HUENEME CALIF
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1973
• Subjects: Air Condition; Heating; Lighting & Ventilating; Structural Engineering and Building Technology; (*UNDERGROUND STRUCTURES; VENTILATION); (*CONSTRUCTION; *POLAR REGIONS); DEFORMATION; VENTILATION DUCTS; HEAT SINKS; COOLING; HEAT TRANSFER; ATMOSPHERIC TEMPERATURE; EFFICIENCY; BYRD STATION; *UNDERSNOW CAMPS; Antarctic; South Pole; Byrd; Byrd Station; Antarc*; Antarctica; South pole
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/AD0757675; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=AD0757675

Antarctic stations located in tunnels beneath the snow surface, such as the South Pole Station and the recently closed Byrd Station, are of limited useful life because of snow deformation in the tunnel walls and roof. This deformation accelerates as snow temperature increases, which makes the control of heat gain very important. Studies of temperature control methods in snow tunnels were conducted at Byrd Station from December 1965 to October 1971 and demonstrated that the use of large-diameter gravity ventilation ducts from the tunnel to the surface is an effective method for venting unwanted heat when surface air temperatures are lower than the desired tunnel temperature. When surface air temperatures are too warm, large volumes of supplemental cooling air can be obtained from specially constructed systems utilizing the heat sink represented by the surrounding snowfield. Byrd Station tunnel temperatures are evaluated during use of different ventilating methods. (Author Modified Abstract)