Effect of Freeze Pipe Eccentricity in Selective Artificial Ground Freezing Applications

Abstract

Building concentric tubes is one of biggest practical challenges in the construction of freeze-pipes of selective artificial ground freezing (S-AGF) applications for underground mines. In this study, the influence of tubes eccentricity on phase-front expansion (i.e., expansion of the frozen body) and energy consumption of S-AGF systems is analyzed. A 1+1D semi-conjugate model that solves two-phase transient energy conservation equation is derived based on the enthalpy method. The 1+1D model is firstly validated against experimental data and then verified with a fully-conjugate model from our previous work. After that, the 1+1D model is extended to a field-scale of typical underground mines to examine the effect of freeze-pipe eccentricity. The results show that concentric freeze-pipes form the desired frozen ground volume 15% faster than eccentric freeze-pipes. Also, the geometrical profile of the phase-transition-front of the frozen ground is found to be significantly influenced by the freeze-pipe eccentricity. Furthermore, in the passive zone, where S-AGF coolants are isolated from the ground to reduce energy consumption, freeze pipe eccentricity can increase the coolant heat gain by 20%. This percentage can increase up to 200 % if radiation heat transfer is minimized.

An elastic-plastic solution for the optimal thickness of a frozen soil wall considering an interaction with the surrounding rock

“…Artificial ground freezing (AGF) technology has been widely applied in geotechnical engineering via the advanced refrigeration method [ 1 – 5 ]. The compressive strength and impermeability of a frozen soil mass are markedly increased as the in-situ pore water in the subsurface is frozen.…”