Numerical and Economic Analysis of Hydronic-Heated Anti-Icing Solutions on Underground Park Driveways

Snow and ice forming on the entrance exit driveways of underground car parks buildings brings serious difficulties risks in safe parking for vehicles winter. Even though traditional methods such as chemical salt snow plowing reduce slippery conditions driveways, they also result infrastructure- environment-related damages. Hydronic heating is an alternative way to prevent forming; thereby, hydronic driveway (HHD) a promising technique energy-efficient environment-friendly solutions. This study presents time-dependent three-dimensional numerical heat transfer model HHD applications with realistic boundary meteorological data MATLAB environment. After developing model, applied case Istanbul, Turkey followed by economic comparison commercial electrically-heated (EHD) method that two different ways; applying electric cables (i) whole (ii) only tire tracks. Different escalation rates natural gas electricity, hot fluid inlet temperature, air number parallel pipes are main parameters study. Results show decrease pipe spacing drops investment cost term but it needs higher supplied temperature anti-icing, therefore operating increases. Among other cases was pipes, 50 being most economically feasible solution all temperatures ranging from 0 °C −10 °C. The shows EHD tracks has minimum total significantly decreased both terms. In anti-icing requirement road surface, system found be preferable scenario at −5 °C, while more beneficial high electricity ambient