Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
https://hdl.handle.net/11681/44943| Title: | South Pole Station snowdrift model |
| Authors: | Allen, Luke D. Haehnel, Robert B. Wenren, Yonghu. |
| Keywords: | Amundsen Scott South Pole Station (Antarctica)--Buildings Computational fluid dynamics EPOLAR Foundations--Cold weather conditions NSF Snow--Computer simulation Snow mechanics Wind forecasting |
| Publisher: | Engineer Research and Development Center (U.S.) |
| Series/Report no.: | Technical Report (Engineer Research and Development Center (U.S.)) ; no. ERDC/CRREL TR-22-7 |
| Abstract: | The elevated building at Scott-Amundsen South Pole Station was designed to mitigate the effects of windblown snow on it and the surrounding infrastructure. Because the elevation of the snow surface increases annually, the station is periodically lifted on its support columns to maintain its design height above the snow surface. To assist with planning these lifts, this effort developed a computational model to simulate snowdrift formation around the elevated building. The model uses computational fluid dynamics methods and synthetic wind record generation derived from statistical analysis of meteorological data. Simulations assessed the impact of several options for the lifting operation on drifts surrounding the elevated building. Simulation results indicate that raising the eastern-most building section (Pod A), or the entire station all at once, can reduce drift accumulation rates over the nearby arches structures. Long-term analyses, spanning 5–6 years, determine whether an equilibrium drift condition may be reached after a long period of undisturbed drift development. These simulations showed that after about 6 years, the rate of growth of the upwind drift slows, appearing to approach an equilibrium condition. However, the adjacent drifts were still increasing in depth at a roughly linear rate, indicating that equilibrium for those drifts was still several seasons away. |
| Description: | Technical Report |
| Gov't Doc #: | ERDC/CRREL TR-22-7 |
| Rights: | Approved for Public Release; Distribution is Unlimited |
| URI: | https://hdl.handle.net/11681/44943 http://dx.doi.org/10.21079/11681/44943 |
| Size: | 44 pages / 3.65 MB |
| Types of Materials: | |
| Appears in Collections: | Technical Report |
Files in This Item:
| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ERDC-CRREL TR-22-7.pdf | 3.65 MB | Adobe PDF |  View/Open |