Frozen Soil Barrier Technology. Innovative Technology Summary Report
The technology of using refrigeration to freeze soils has been employed in large-scale engineering projects for a number of years. This technology bonds soils to give load-bearing strength during construction to seal tunnels, mine shafts, and other subsurface structures against flooding from groundwater, and to stabilize soils during excavation. Examples of modern applications include several large subway, highway, and water supply tunnels. Ground freezing to form subsurface frozen soil barriers is an innovative technology designed to contain hazardous and radioactive contaminants in soils and groundwater. Frozen soil barriers that provide complete containment (V configuration) are formed by drilling and installing refrigerant piping (on 8-ft centers) horizontally at approximately 45{sup o} angles for sides and vertically for ends and then recirculating an environmentally safe refrigerant solution through the piping to freeze the soil porewater. Freeze plants are used to keep the containment structure at subfreezing temperatures. Advantages for this technology include the following: It can provide complete containment; It uses benign material (water/ice) as a containment medium; Frozen barriers can be removed (by thawing); and Frozen barriers can be repaired in situ (by injecting water into the leakage area).
- Research Organization:
- USDOE, Office of Environmental Management, Office of Technology Development; Hazardous Waste Remedial Actions Program, Oak Ridge, TN (US); Colorado Center for Environmental Management, Denver, CO (US)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science and Technology (OST) (EM-50) (US)
- OSTI ID:
- 7402
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/EM-0273; OST/TMS ID 51; OST/TMS ID 51; TRN: US200304%%137
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Supercedes report DE00007402; PBD: 1 Apr 1995; PBD: 1 Apr 1995
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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