Date of Award

12-17-2011

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

Permafrost ice cellars have been used for generations by Arctic communities for subsistence food storage. Many of these ice cellars have been recently reported to be difficult or impossible to maintain due to thawing and water accumulation inside the cellar. The thesis objective is to investigate the effectiveness of implementing passive techniques to lower the surrounding permafrost temperature, ideally to 0°F, the USDA recommended temperature, throughout the year. Numerical finite element modeling was used to investigate the effects on permafrost temperature with the addition of two-phase, closed thermosyphons and/or ground insulation. Thermosyphon condensers installed both above and below ground were studied. The numerical models were created using Comsol Multiphysics. The modeling results indicated that the addition of thermosyphons and insulation caused a decrease in permafrost temperatures surrounding the ice cellar, although the target temperature of 0°F could not be maintained throughout the year by any of the methods studied. Subsurface insulation decreased the amplitude between the minimum and maximum temperature of the cellar wall 4.5°C. Air thermosyphons decreased the average temperature 8.5°C, and with additional insulation, 90C. Ground thermosyphons were less effective, decreasing the average wall temperature 2.4°C. Additionally, thermosyphon performance was found to be rate-limited by conduction through permafrost.

Handle

http://hdl.handle.net/11122/12697

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