Passive Cooling of Permafrost Foundation Soils Using Porous Embankment Structures

Permafrost (permanently frozen ground) underlies approximately 25% of the world’s land surface. Construction of surface facilities in these regions presents unique engineering challenges due to the alteration of the thermal regime at the ground surface. Even moderate disturbance of the pre-existing ground surface energy balance can induce permafrost thawing with consequent settlement and damage to buildings, roadways, or other man-made infrastructure. The present work examines the thermal characteristics of embankments constructed of unconventional, highly porous materials. Using these materials, a passive cooling effect can be achieved due to the unstable density stratification and resulting natural convection that occur during winter months. The convection enhances transport of heat out of the embankment, thus cooling the lower portions of the embankment and underlying foundation soil and preserving the permafrost layer. Numerical results obtained with an unsteady two-dimensional finite element model are compared to experimental measurements taken in full-scale field installations for the cases of open and closed (impermeable) side-slope boundary conditions.