CEL Building and Experimental Subgrade Cooling System, Barrow, Alaska - Construction History and Performance Characteristics.
Gravel requirements for structures placed on unstable permafrost can be reduced by incorporating various insulation materials into the floor and foundation systems. However, to reduce the need for gravel even more, some means of extracting heat from the ground beneath the structure must be provided....
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| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
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1979
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| Online Access: | http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA070865 http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA070865 |
| Summary: | Gravel requirements for structures placed on unstable permafrost can be reduced by incorporating various insulation materials into the floor and foundation systems. However, to reduce the need for gravel even more, some means of extracting heat from the ground beneath the structure must be provided. During the summer of 1976, personnel from the Civil Enginnering Laboratory erected a building on the ice-rich permafrost near Barrow, Alaska. The structure, placed on just 1 foot of gravel, has been used as a test bed to evaluate an experimental subgrade cooling system. The cooling system consists of 15 loop-configured heat exchangers called convection cells. During the winter months, heat losses from the building into the permafrost are redirected via these convection cells to the cold environment outside, thus preventing progressive degradation from thaw. To date, data collected from some 150 thermocouples located in the subgrade and heat-exchange systems have shown that the rate of winter heat removal is even greater than originally anticipated. Although a small cyclical displacement of the floor and foundation resulting from seasonal summer thaw and winter freezeback has been apparent, this movement is minimal compared to settlement which would have occurred had the massive ice present in the subgrade been allowed to thaw unchecked. (Author) |
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