Language selection

Government of Canada / Gouvernement du Canada

Search

Frost protection of buried PVC water mains in western Canada

From National Research Council Canada

Download
  1. (PDF, 2.5 MiB)
AuthorSearch for: 1; Search for: 1
Affiliation
  1. National Research Council of Canada
FormatText, Article
SubjectWater mains; Plastic pipe
Abstract
Although desirable for many reasons, controlled low-strength material - controlled density fill (nonshrinkablefill) has the potential to promote rapid frost penetration within the trench when used as a backfill material in waterworks construction and repair projects. This paper describes results of a two-dimensional finite-element heat-7 transfer model study carried out to investigate the effectiveness of various insulation systems for frost and frost-heave protection of buried waterlines. Combinations of nonshrinkable fill with horizontal insulation boards, cylindrical pipe insulation, and inverted U-shaped insulations were investigated. It was shown that, while moderate thicknesses of insulation could be found to protect the pipe from freezing, thermal-bridging effects make the location of the maximum frost penetration depth sensitive to details of the insulation geometry. The use of different combinations of insulating backfills was also investigated, and it was shown that a backfill layer of moderate insulating value placed high in the trench may be most advantageous.
Publication date
In
  • Canadian Geotechnical Journal 31, no. August 4 (August 1994): 491–501.
LanguageEnglish
Peer reviewedYes
IdentifierIRC-P-3296
NRC numberNRCC 36049
NRC-IRC-4629
NPARC number20358928
Export citationExport as RIS
Report a correctionReport a correction (opens in a new tab)
Record identifier08c47f2a-c08d-4893-bb21-6a4468feec70
Record created2012-07-20
Record modified2020-06-06
Date modified: