Frost Shielding Protection of a Water Line, Berlin, New Hampshire

摘要

The standard practice at burying water and sewer lines beneath the frost line incold regions can be expensive when ledge or other difficult material is within the burial depth. If the pipeline can be buried at a shallower depth and still be protected from freezing, a significant savings in excavation costs can be realized. A finite element (FE) program was developed to predict frost penetration depth around buried utility pipelines. The program was used to design and assess the feasibility of various insulation configurations around a water line buried within the frost-susceptible depth in Berlin, New Hampshire. Extensive temperature monitoring was performed to evaluate both the insulation design and the prediction accuracy of the FE program. The first-year results are very promising, showing good accuracy between the FE results and actual temperatures. used to design and assess the feasibility of various insulation configurations around a water line buried within the frost susceptible depth in Berlin, New Hampshire. Extensive temperature monitoring was performed to evaluate both the insulation design and the prediction accuracy of the FE program. The first year results are very promising, showing good accuracy between the FE results and actual temperatures.