Proof of Concept: Firn Air Facility Cooling at Summit Station, Greenland
Publication: Journal of Cold Regions Engineering
Volume 27, Issue 1
Abstract
A firn air cooling system that utilized the natural reservoir of cool air at depth in polar ice sheets was tested at Summit Station, Greenland during the summer of 2010. Cooling is required on station to meet the requirements for food safety and scientific core storage. Firn air cooling is a potential replacement for traditional mechanical cooling systems. The system design, installation, and results of several experiments are presented. The system cooled a enclosed, insulated structure from to using a 10-m borehole and a fan pumping the naturally cool air. The system was easy to install in a short time frame and was low cost from an equipment and operating perspective.
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Acknowledgments
This work was funded by the National Science Foundation, Office of Polar Programs—Arctic Research Support and Logistics. This work could not have been completed without the outstanding assistance received from many CH2M Hill Polar Services (CPS)/Polar Field Services (PFS) staff and drilling support from Ice Core Drilling Services.
References
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Cold Regions Engineering
Volume 27 • Issue 1 • March 2013
Pages: 16 - 28
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jul 1, 2011
Accepted: Aug 31, 2012
Published online: Sep 3, 2012
Published in print: Mar 1, 2013
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