A novel indicator for equivalent mean air temperature within the tunnel considering time-varying ventilation wind speeds: Calculation and application

Abstract

The study examines the coupling effect between air temperature and time-varying ventilation wind speeds within the tunnel, abstracting their influence on tunnel coldness. This investigation introduces a novel indicator—the equivalent mean air temperature within the tunnel—derived through fluid dynamics and heat transfer theories based on the principle of equivalent convective heat transfer. Case studies using the Xinjiaodong Tunnel and BSLL Tunnel illustrate the indicator's applications, including optimal anti-freezing axis identification, insulation layer thickness design, and active-controlled ventilation implementation. The optimal anti-freezing axis orientation angle for the Xinjiaodong Tunnel entrance section is 133.3°, deviating significantly by 160.8° from the actual axis, indicating a lower level of equivalent mean annual air temperature (5.5 °C) at the entrance section. This underscores the necessity to reinforce anti-freezing measures specifically at the entrance section of the Xinjiaodong Tunnel. Determining a 10 cm-thick insulation layer requirement at the Xinjiaodong Tunnel entrance section based on the equivalent mean air temperature. Through on-site investigation and published findings, it was observed that a 5 cm-thick insulation layer failed to prevent freezing, resulting in water leakage and ice formation on the lining, thus validating the calculation results. The BSLL Tunnel requires an insulation layer thickness exceeding 10 cm based on the equivalent mean air temperature, necessitating the implementation of active-controlled ventilation. Calculation results reveal that, with active-controlled ventilation wind speeds increasing from 1 m/s to 4 m/s at a temperature threshold of 4 °C, the equivalent mean air temperature during cumulative negative temperature periods within the BSLL Tunnel rises sharply from 1.0 °C to 2.7 °C. These findings demonstrate that the equivalent mean air temperature not only guides the identification of optimal anti-freezing axis, the design of insulation layer thickness considering time-varying ventilation wind speeds, and the implementation of active-controlled ventilation but also provides new methods and technologies for anti-freezing design in cold-region tunnels.