Geothermal bridge deck de-icing using a novel external hydronic heating system with insulated pipe loops

A geothermal-based external hydronic heating system (EHHS) has been developed as an effective solution to address the de-icing needs of in-service bridges with minimum negative impacts on the structure, traffic, and environment. This paper discusses the implementation and operational response of a new design of the EHHS in which rather than the whole bottom surface of the bridge deck, only the hydronic heating loops are covered with insulation material and provides the accessibility for visual inspection of the bridge deck. The first full-scale external hydronic heating system with an insulated loop (EHHS-IL) was installed on a mock-up bridge deck in north Texas and tested in a record snowstorm with a low ambient temperature of −19.5 ˚C. The system operated in three different stages, and the inlet fluid temperature was adjusted according to the weather forecast. Overall, during a 10-day operation, three ice and snow events and 209 hours of freezing ambient temperature were observed. The heating system was able to maintain the heated bridge deck surface temperature above freezing except for 1.3 hours when the −19.5 ˚C low ambient temperature coincided with snowfall. The average surface heat flux during the test varied from 34.8 – 84 W/m^2, and the average heating efficiency was estimated at 17.7 %. The seasonal performance factor (SPF) of the system remains consistently greater than 1 during the heating period. Also, 422 kWh of electrical energy was consumed during 10 days of operation by the entire geothermal de-icing system. This new geothermal bridge deicing system offers a practical solution to icy bridges by retrofitting.