MELTING SNOW AND ICE BY HEATING PAVEMENTS

SNOW AND ICE REMOVAL BY HEATING THE PAVEMENT IS A COSTLY OPERATION. EXPERIENCE AHS SHOWN THAT THE CAPITAL COST OF INSTALLATIONS RANGES FROM $1.00 TO $6.00 PER SQUARE FOOT AND OPERATING COSTS FROM $0.15 TO $0.30 PER SQUARE FOOT PER WINTER, OR $10.00 TO $15.00 PER TON OF SNOW. A NEED FOR INFORMATION CONCERNING THE DESIGN AND COST BENEFIT STUDIES OF SUCH SYSTEMS HAS BEEN INDICATED. A REVIEW WAS CONDUCTED TO SUMMARIZE THE INFORMATION AVAILABLE AND POINT OUT WHERE KNOWLEDGE IS LACKING AND RESEARCH REQUIRED. ONLY HEATING SYSTEMS USING BURIED PIPES OR ELECTRIC CABLES ARE CONSIDERED. HEAT FOR MELTING SNOW MAY ALSO BE SUPPLIED BY INFRARED LAMPS BUT THERE IS LITTLE INFORMATION AVAILABLE ON THIS INDICATING A NEED FOR RESEARCH. THE HEAT REQUIREMENTS FOR SNOW REMOVAL BY HEATED PAVEMENTS DEPEND ON THE FOLLOWING INFLUENCES: RATE OF SNOWFALL, AIR TEMPERATURE, WIND SPEED, RELATIVE HUMIDITY OF AIR /INFLUENCE IS SMALL/, HEAT TRANSFER FROM THE PAVEMENT INTO THE GROUND, EFFECT DESIRED /BARE PAVEMENT OR SNOW COVER ALLOWED/, WARM-UP TIME, IDLING TIME, AREA OF PAVEMENT, AND FREQUENCY OF SNOWFALLS AND ICING. WITH THESE DATA AVAILABLE, THE DESIGN OUTPUT IN BTU /SQ FT/ HR AND THE TOTAL HEAT REQUIRED DURING ONE WINTER CAN BE DETERMINED.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • No 55, 12 PP, 16 REF
• Corporate Authors:

  Nrc Div Bldg Research /Can

  ,    
• Authors:
  • Schaerer, P A
• Publication Date: 1966-1

Media Info

• Serial:
  • Building Research Notes /Canada/
  • Publisher: Nrc Div Bldg Research /Can

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Areas; Benefit cost analysis; Design; Electric cables; Heat transfer; Heaters; Heating (Structures); Humidity; Melting; Pavements; Rates; Reviews; Snow; Snow and ice control; Snow removal; Temperature; Velocity; Wind
• Old TRIS Terms: Design information; Wind velocity
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Pavements;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00218126
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: CANADIAN GOOD ROADS ASSOCIATION
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Feb 15 1994 12:00AM