Reconstruction of a pavement geothermal deicing system
- Geo-Heat Center, Klamath Falls, OR (United States)
In 1948, US 97 in Klamath Falls, Oregon was routed over Esplanade Street to Main Street and through the downtown area. In order to widen the bridge across the US Bureau of Reclamation A Canal and to have the road cross under the Southern Pacific Railroad main north-south line, a new bridge and roadway were constructed at the beginning of this urban route. Because the approach and stop where this roadway intersected Alameda Ave (now Hwy 50 -- Eastside Bypass) caused problems with traffic getting traction in the winter on an adverse 8% grade, a geothermal experiment in pavement de-icing was incorporated into the project. A grid system within the pavement was connected to a nearby geothermal well using a downhole heat exchanger (DHE). The 419-foot well provided heat to a 50-50 ethylene glycol-water solution that ran through the grid system at about 50 gpm. This energy could provide a relatively snow free pavement at an outside temperature of {minus}10 F and snowfall up to 3 inches per hour, at a heat requirement of 41 Btu/hr/ft{sup 2}. Over time, the well temperature dropped from 143 to 98 F at the surface. The bridge and surface pavement, geothermal well, and associated equipment were modified. This paper describes the modifications.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG07-90ID13040
- OSTI ID:
- 338609
- Journal Information:
- Geo-Heat Center Quarterly Bulletin, Vol. 20, Issue 1; Other Information: PBD: Mar 1999
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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