Article
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Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed
Experimental Proof of a Solar-powered Heat Pump System for Permafrost Thermal Stabilization
Version 1
: Received: 16 December 2021 / Approved: 17 December 2021 / Online: 17 December 2021 (12:37:39 CET)
A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.
Sharaborova, E.S.; Shepitko, T.V.; Loktionov, E.Y. Experimental Proof of a Solar-Powered Heat Pump System for Soil Thermal Stabilization. Energies 2022, 15, 2118. Sharaborova, E.S.; Shepitko, T.V.; Loktionov, E.Y. Experimental Proof of a Solar-Powered Heat Pump System for Soil Thermal Stabilization. Energies 2022, 15, 2118.
Abstract
We have suggested earlier a new sustainable method for permafrost thermal stabilization that combines passive screening of solar radiation and precipitation with active solar-powered cooling of the near-surface soil layer thus preventing heat penetration in depth. Feasibility of this method has been shown by calculations, but needed experimental proof. In this article, we are presenting the results of soil temperature measurements obtained at the experimental implementation of this method outside of the permafrost area which actually meant higher thermal loads than in Polar Regions. We have shown that near-surface soil layer is kept frozen during the whole summer, even at air temperatures exceeding +30°C. Therefore, the method has been experimentally proven to be capable of sustaining soil frozen even in more extreme conditions than expected in permafrost areas. In addition to usual building and structure thermal stabilization, the method could be used to prevent the development of thermokarst, gas emission craters, and landslides; greenhouse gases, chemical, and biological pollution from the upper thawing layers at least in the area of human activities; protection against coastal erosion; and permafrost restoration after wildfires. Using commercially widely available components, the technology can be scaled up for virtually any size objects.
Keywords
solar energy; geothermal energy; seasonally thawed layer; thermosyphon; heat flux; performance indicator; near-surface layer; heat shielding
Subject
Engineering, Civil Engineering
Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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