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Research Project Title : The impact of seepage flow on ice content during freezing stage of ground freezing

When the soil is frozen, its mechanical and thermal properties are greatly altered. It can be found that soil has higher strength and lower permeability after freezing .The artificial ground freezing (AGF) technique involves manually freezing soil by installing freezing pipes surrounding the target area. Then, coolant is supplied to circulate in the freezing pipes and continue to absorb heat from the soil. AGF can provide support to structures while preventing seepage flow. Moreover, it is also known as an environmentally friendly technique since its application does not require grouting or cement.
Nevertheless, the occurrence of seepage flow is considered a severe threat that influences the freezing process of AGF. This is due to the fact that seepage flow transfers a lot of heat energy, which impedes the formation of the frozen curtain and changes the freezing path. Consequently, extra energy costs may arise to achieve the desired thickness of the frozen curtain. Meanwhile, seepage flow also poses safety risks to the AGF project since it may increase the water content of the soil and cause ground deformation. Thus, the study of how seepage flow influences the ice content during the freezing process helps to improve the freezing design. So that less energy is wasted, and the frozen curtain has greater strength and stability.

Supervisors

Dr. Alessandro Leonardi

Dr Elisabeth Bowman

Research Interests

Frozen soils, LBM, DEM, FEM