Session: 02-07: Sustainable Buildings, Communities, and Cities

Paper Number: 142451

142451 - Smart Integrated Solar Control System for Concrete Slabs Under Extreme Weather Conditions 

Abstract: 

Regions with extreme winter weather conditions, such as the midwest, tend to experience issues related to pedestrian slip and fall at sidewalks and vehicle accidents due to accumulation of snow and ice, resulting in consequential liability and significant deicing/removal costs. Every year, the State Department of Transportation (DOTs), cities, and private entities spend millions of dollars each year in an effort to ensure pedestrian safety as well as providing a safe surface for vehicles to operate during winter conditions. Stereotypical approach to deicing roads and pavements is by spreading deicing salt. This method has proven to lead to serious repercussions towards the environment, as long term use of salt deicers leads to the deterioration of concrete and corrosion of metals as remnants of salt could cling onto vehicles as they drive along the roads. Moreover, deicing salts also negatively impacts soil, water supplies, and other environmental elements. This work focuses on the development of an environmentally friendly, low-cost, and self-contained solar micro-radiant heating system (MRHS) that will be appropriate to be implemented at public transit stops and at high-risk, high-traffic sidewalk locations in Kansas City, Missouri. The system will be applied as a thinly retrofitted layer on the surface of existing concrete roads/pavements and will utilize the combination of a solar photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) and novel thermally active materials to keep surfaces free of snow and ice. Low-cost, low operating temperature phase change material (PCM) will also be utilized for thermal energy storage. In this study, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model is used to investigate several different design and PCM configurations of the MRHS loop that is best suited to be used in both extreme weather conditions in the midwest -- summer and winter. The model contains several key components such as an epoxy/insulation layer between existing concrete surface and additional MRHS, a serpentine pipe loop with heat transfer fluid to and from the PV/T, the outer concrete surface layer, and a PCM layer. In the winter, the MRHS loop will heat the pavement to de-ice and prevent accumulation of snow using thermal energy collected from the PV/T as well as using PCM on days when sunlight is limited. Meanwhile, in the summer heat can be collected from the pavement to prevent overheating to be used for other applications. Weather data of the coldest and hottest days of the year in the Kansas City metropolitan area has been used as boundary condition inputs, and all the systems were studied and compared under the same initial and boundary conditions. Results from this study can be used to further optimize the chosen design prior to future experimental study of this work.    

Presenting Author: Celine Lim University of Missouri-Kansas City

Presenting Author Biography: She has received her Bachelor and Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from UMKC with master thesis title of “Thermal Performance Modeling of a Novel Dual-PCM Evacuated U-Tube Solar Collector”. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at UMKC. Currently, she is working on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling of solar thermal collectors along with thermal analysis of energy storage materials. Celine played 4 years of NCAA college golf and was a 2-time All-American scholar and a WAC conference scholar. Strongly believes that the world needs more renewable energy as renewable energy sources is infinite and advocates for a healthier and an environmentally friendlier living space.

Authors:

Celine Lim University of Missouri-Kansas City
Sarvenaz Sobhansarbandi California State University - Sacramento