Forecast of Thermal Mode for the Slope Fill-Up Ground, Considering the Operation of Seasonal Cooling Units in Cryolithic Zone Conditions

Abstract

The article is concerned with the solution of the issue of freezing and stabilization of negative thermal mode for the slopes made of fill-up ground, which are held by a gabion wall in cryolithic zone conditions. To estimate the efficiency of artificial freezing of the slope ground, a mathematical 3D model of heat-exchange processes was worked out, which takes into account the phase change of moisture, freezing temperature, length of cooling devices, their quantity and location, the annual cycle of ambient air temperature and ground bedding. The model takes into account geometrical parameters of the slope and impact of daylight surface. The issue had been solved with numerical technique of finite differences. The calculations indicated the efficiency of implementation of seasonal cooling units for increasing of the fill-up slope stability. Their implementation results in progressive accumulation of cold in its ground. By the end of the fourth year of freezing, the whole mass of the fill-up slope ground turns into a frozen state. When seasonal cooling units were switched off in next years, the frozen area in the fill-up slope remains the same and thermal mode of the slope ground becomes a stable periodic cycle, i.e. expected seasonal temperature oscillations take place.