Numerical Simulation of Snow Melting on Pavement Surface with Heat Dissipation

A programmed software was developed in order to numerically simulate time variation of temperature field and snow depth around a pipe-in-pile snow-melting system, using meteorological data. The system utilized underground piles as heat exchanger between underground soil and water flowing inside the piles. The water was pumped into heat dissipation pipes embedded beneath pavement surface, on which snow melted. Unsteady three-dimensional heat conduction inside the pavement and the underground soil was numerically solved. On the surface, heat balance of conduction, convection and radiation was considered. Snow fall depth was estimated by rainfall weather data, ratio of snowfall to rainfall, and dry density of snowfall. For simulating snow layer, unsteady one-dimensional heat conduction was solved while incorporating partial absorption of solar radiation. Experiments for measuring time variation of