Abstract
Ice blasting with explosives is an important method for mitigating or preventing ice jam floods during the spring breakup of frozen rivers. Successful blasting relies on properly determining the relationships between parameters including blasting crater radius, explosive weight, ice cover thickness, and water depth, though variations in the final three factors have significant effects on the blasting crater radius. We conducted field experiments in an upper reach of the Heilong (Amur) River, which forms the border between China and Russia, in order to develop an empirical formula correlating these factors. The blasting crater radius determined by the proposed equation resulted in average errors of less than 8.5% when compared with the measured values. This formula was used for ice blasting along the upper Heilong River in spring 2016 and 2017, successfully preventing ice jam formation during river breakup and thus providing a scientific basis for the prevention of ice-related flooding in northern regions.
Highlights
The Heilong River is located in northeastern China and serves as the border betweenChina and Russia, where the air temperature typically falls below zero from October to April.The annual average temperature in the region is around −2 ◦ C, with minimum winter temperatures recorded as low as −59.5 ◦ C, and the freeze-up period lasts up to six months
Pre-emptive ice cover blasting is undertaken before breakup to prevent severe ice jam formation; this breaks ice cover into smaller blocks that can flow smoothly downstream during ice breakup before the formation of an ice jam
The use of ice blasting with explosives to prevent ice channels with thick ice cover in winter
Summary
The Heilong (or Amur) River is located in northeastern China and serves as the border betweenChina and Russia, where the air temperature typically falls below zero from October to April.The annual average temperature in the region is around −2 ◦ C, with minimum winter temperatures recorded as low as −59.5 ◦ C, and the freeze-up period lasts up to six months. Rivers are two large tributaries that combine to form the Heilong River in northern China (Figure 1a) Both rivers flow from southwest to northeast (from lower latitude to higher latitude) over a 700-km distance, causing ice breakup to occur in the upstream reach and tributaries before downstream areas, resulting in reversed breakup conditions that can exacerbate ice jam flooding. The characteristics of the upper Heilong River include a narrow and meandering main channel, connecting islands, a large number of branches and side channels, and steep changes in river gradient, resulting in uneven distribution of the flow and water depth along the river (Figure 1b). These factors lead to frequent ice jam formation during breakup.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
