IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/renene/v199y2022icp1033-1046.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Impacts of snow cover on the pattern and velocity of air flow in air convection embankments of sub-Arctic regions

Author

Listed:
  • Chen, Lin
  • Lai, Yuanming
  • Fortier, Daniel
  • Harris, Stuart A.

Abstract

In northern regions, air convection embankment (ACE) has been implemented to mitigate road subsidence caused by permafrost degradation. The seasonal snow cover largely alters the surface energy balance and adversely affects the thermal stability of the road. However, thermal characteristics of a closed ACE and the quantification of their impacts on talik development remain largely unknown, especially in the present and future context of global warming. Here, impacts of snow cover on the pattern and strength of the air circulation were investigated and quantified. Snow cover greatly weakened the cooling effect of the closed ACE side slopes. The pore air velocity of the crushed-rock layer was reduced by half and the mean annual heat flux increased by approximately 1.6 W/m2, in comparison to the snow-free case. Conversely, the U-shape closed ACE had a better cooling performance due to a stronger air convection in winter, which increased heat loss from the snow-free surface of the embankment center. Our simulations suggest that the U-shape ACE embankment is a potential long-term solution to mitigate permafrost thaw over the life service (50 years) of road embankments in sub-arctic regions. The net results of this study are imperative to improve engineered design and road maintenance in cold regions.

Suggested Citation

  • Chen, Lin & Lai, Yuanming & Fortier, Daniel & Harris, Stuart A., 2022. "Impacts of snow cover on the pattern and velocity of air flow in air convection embankments of sub-Arctic regions," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 199(C), pages 1033-1046.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:199:y:2022:i:c:p:1033-1046
    DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2022.09.031
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960148122013817
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.renene.2022.09.031?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Anne Mäkiranta & Erkki Hiltunen, 2019. "Utilizing Asphalt Heat Energy in Finnish Climate Conditions," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-11, June.
    2. Qin, Yinghong & Zhang, Mingyi & Hiller, Jacob E., 2017. "Theoretical and experimental studies on the daily accumulative heat gain from cool roofs," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 138-147.
    3. Robert G. Way & Antoni G. Lewkowicz, 2018. "Environmental controls on ground temperature and permafrost in Labrador, northeast Canada," Permafrost and Periglacial Processes, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(2), pages 73-85, April.
    4. Boris K. Biskaborn & Sharon L. Smith & Jeannette Noetzli & Heidrun Matthes & Gonçalo Vieira & Dmitry A. Streletskiy & Philippe Schoeneich & Vladimir E. Romanovsky & Antoni G. Lewkowicz & Andrey Abramo, 2019. "Permafrost is warming at a global scale," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 10(1), pages 1-11, December.
    5. H. H. Christiansen & B. Etzelmüller & K. Isaksen & H. Juliussen & H. Farbrot & O. Humlum & M. Johansson & T. Ingeman‐Nielsen & L. Kristensen & J. Hjort & P. Holmlund & A. B. K. Sannel & C. Sigsgaard &, 2010. "The thermal state of permafrost in the nordic area during the international polar year 2007–2009," Permafrost and Periglacial Processes, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 21(2), pages 156-181, April.
    6. Shuangjie Wang & Fujun Niu & Jianbing Chen & Yuanhong Dong, 2020. "Permafrost research in China related to express highway construction," Permafrost and Periglacial Processes, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(3), pages 406-416, July.
    7. Jan Hjort & Olli Karjalainen & Juha Aalto & Sebastian Westermann & Vladimir E. Romanovsky & Frederick E. Nelson & Bernd Etzelmüller & Miska Luoto, 2018. "Degrading permafrost puts Arctic infrastructure at risk by mid-century," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 9(1), pages 1-9, December.
    8. Zhang, Mingyi & Zhang, Xiyin & Li, Shuangyang & Wu, Daoyong & Pei, Wansheng & Lai, Yuanming, 2015. "Evaluating the cooling performance of crushed-rock interlayer embankments with unperforated and perforated ventilation ducts in permafrost regions," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 93(P1), pages 874-881.
    9. Stuart A. Harris & David E. Pedersen, 1998. "Thermal regimes beneath coarse blocky materials," Permafrost and Periglacial Processes, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 9(2), pages 107-120, April.
    10. Guy Doré & Fujun Niu & Heather Brooks, 2016. "Adaptation Methods for Transportation Infrastructure Built on Degrading Permafrost," Permafrost and Periglacial Processes, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(4), pages 352-364, October.
    11. Lin Chen & Clifford I. Voss & Daniel Fortier & Jeffrey M. McKenzie, 2021. "Surface energy balance of sub‐Arctic roads with varying snow regimes and properties in permafrost regions," Permafrost and Periglacial Processes, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 32(4), pages 681-701, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Chen, Lin & Yu, Wenbing & Zhang, Tianqi & Yi, Xin, 2023. "Asymmetric talik formation beneath the embankment of Qinghai-Tibet Highway triggered by the sunny-shady effect," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 266(C).
    2. Georgii A. Alexandrov & Veronika A. Ginzburg & Gregory E. Insarov & Anna A. Romanovskaya, 2021. "CMIP6 model projections leave no room for permafrost to persist in Western Siberia under the SSP5-8.5 scenario," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 169(3), pages 1-11, December.
    3. Shijin Wang, 2024. "Opportunities and threats of cryosphere change to the achievement of UN 2030 SDGs," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-13, December.
    4. Yinghong Qin & Tianyu Wang & Weixin Yuan, 2023. "Wind-driven device for cooling permafrost," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-10, December.
    5. Rashit M. Hantemirov & Christophe Corona & Sébastien Guillet & Stepan G. Shiyatov & Markus Stoffel & Timothy J. Osborn & Thomas M. Melvin & Ludmila A. Gorlanova & Vladimir V. Kukarskih & Alexander Y. , 2022. "Current Siberian heating is unprecedented during the past seven millennia," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-8, December.
    6. Guanfu Wang & Jiajun Bi & Youkai Fan & Long Zhu & Feng Zhang & Decheng Feng, 2022. "Settlement Characteristic of Warm Permafrost Embankment with Two-Phase Closed Thermosyphons in Daxing’anling Mountains Region," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-20, September.
    7. Yang, Sheng & Zhang, Mingyi & Bi, Jun & Pei, Wansheng & Li, Guanji & Li, Renwei, 2023. "Evaluation of the long-term thermal stability of a crushed-rock revetment embankment in pan-Arctic permafrost regions under the effect of snow drift," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 263(PB).
    8. Vladimir P. Melnikov & Victor I. Osipov & Anatoly V. Brouchkov & Arina A. Falaleeva & Svetlana V. Badina & Mikhail N. Zheleznyak & Marat R. Sadurtdinov & Nikolay A. Ostrakov & Dmitry S. Drozdov & Alex, 2022. "Climate warming and permafrost thaw in the Russian Arctic: potential economic impacts on public infrastructure by 2050," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 112(1), pages 231-251, May.
    9. Vladislav Isaev & Arata Kioka & Pavel Kotov & Dmitrii O. Sergeev & Alexandra Uvarova & Andrey Koshurnikov & Oleg Komarov, 2022. "Multi-Parameter Protocol for Geocryological Test Site: A Case Study Applied for the European North of Russia," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-21, March.
    10. Manh, Tran Dinh & Jafaryar, M. & Hamad, Samir Mustafa & Barzinjy, Azeez A. & Shafee, Ahmad & Abohamzeh, Elham & Tlili, Iskander, 2020. "Nanoparticles hydrothermal simulation in a pipe with insertion of compound turbulator analyzing entropy generation," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 542(C).
    11. Juan Pedro Rodríguez-López & Chihua Wu & Tatiana A. Vishnivetskaya & Julian B. Murton & Wenqiang Tang & Chao Ma, 2022. "Permafrost in the Cretaceous supergreenhouse," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-15, December.
    12. Xiong, Qingang & Ayani, M. & Barzinjy, Azeez A. & Dara, Rebwar Nasir & Shafee, Ahmad & Nguyen-Thoi, Trung, 2020. "Modeling of heat transfer augmentation due to complex-shaped turbulator using nanofluid," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 540(C).
    13. Stepan Prokopievich Varlamov & Yuri Borisovich Skachkov & Pavel Nikolaevich Skryabin, 2021. "Long-Term Variability in Ground Thermal State in Central Yakutia’s Tuymaada Valley," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-22, November.
    14. Manh, Tran Dinh & Nam, Nguyen Dang & Jacob, Kavikumar & Hajizadeh, Ahmad & Babazadeh, Houman & Mahjoub, Mohammed & Tlili, I. & Li, Z., 2020. "Simulation of heat transfer in 2D porous tank in appearance of magnetic nanofluid," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 550(C).
    15. Jannik Martens & Birgit Wild & Igor Semiletov & Oleg V. Dudarev & Örjan Gustafsson, 2022. "Circum-Arctic release of terrestrial carbon varies between regions and sources," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-10, December.
    16. Madeleine C. Garibaldi & Philip P. Bonnaventure & Scott F. Lamoureux, 2021. "Utilizing the TTOP model to understand spatial permafrost temperature variability in a High Arctic landscape, Cape Bounty, Nunavut, Canada," Permafrost and Periglacial Processes, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 32(1), pages 19-34, January.
    17. Alyona A. Shestakova & Alexander N. Fedorov & Yaroslav I. Torgovkin & Pavel Y. Konstantinov & Nikolay F. Vasyliev & Svetlana V. Kalinicheva & Vera V. Samsonova & Tetsuya Hiyama & Yoshihiro Iijima & Ho, 2021. "Mapping the Main Characteristics of Permafrost on the Basis of a Permafrost-Landscape Map of Yakutia Using GIS," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-18, April.
    18. Manh, Tran Dinh & Khan, Ahmad Raza & Shafee, Ahmad & Nam, Nguyen Dang & Tlili, I. & Nguyen-Thoi, Trung & Li, Z., 2020. "Hybrid nanoparticles migration due to MHD free convection considering radiation effect," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 551(C).
    19. Tatiana S. Degai & Natalia Khortseva & Maria Monakhova & Andrey N. Petrov, 2021. "Municipal Programs and Sustainable Development in Russian Northern Cities: Case Studies of Murmansk and Magadan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-18, November.
    20. Frederique Bordignon, 2021. "A scientometric review of permafrost research based on textual analysis (1948–2020)," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 126(1), pages 417-436, January.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:199:y:2022:i:c:p:1033-1046. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/renewable-energy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.