PREVENTION OF PREFERENTIAL BRIDGE ICING USING HEAT PIPES

This report describes the results of a 27 month analytical and test program to investigate the use of heat pipes and renewable energy sources (specifically earth heat) to avoid the preferential freezing of highway bridge decks. Based on computer simulations of typical preferential icing events (days), a single system design is recommended for most U.S. locations. This design consists of nominal 0.5 inch heat pipes at the slab mid-plane, on 23 cm centers, connected to nominal 2 inch heat pipes in the ground via a pumped fluid loop, with 1 m of earth heat pipe provided for every 0.3 m2 of bridge deck. The report also provides preliminary assessment of the design requirements and costs of an alternate, solar collector design; it concludes that the solar collector design may offer economic advantages over the earth heat pipe system, and thus should be investigated further.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • See also PB-249 658.
• Corporate Authors:

  Grumman Aerospace Corp.

  Bethpage, NY  United States 

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Ferrara, A A
  • Yenetchi, G
• Publication Date: 1976-9

Media Info

• Pagination: 140 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bridge decks; Bridge design; Bridges; Convection (Fluid mechanics); Costs; Deicing; Heat flow; Heat loss; Heat pipes; Heat transfer; Highway bridges; Icing; Pipe; Simulation; Solar energy; Solar power generation; Structural design
• Old TRIS Terms: Pipes tubes; Preferential icing
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Finance; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00167081
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Report/Paper Numbers: FHWA-RD-76-167 Final Rpt.
• Contract Numbers: DOT-FH-11-8545
• Files: NTIS, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Oct 29 1978 12:00AM