Optimization of the Cooling Scheme of Artificial Ground Freezing Based on Finite Element Analysis: A Case Study

The present study was envisaged to evaluate the influence of different brine cooling schemes on the freezing process in the formation of sand-cobble strata in an underground connection aisle in Hohhot, China. The brine cooling schemes were set up by modifying the starting and ending brine temperatures in the construction of an underground connection aisle. Using ADINA finite element software, the simulation of the temperature field during the freezing process of the sand and pebble strata under three different schemes was performed. It was found that the freezing process was accelerated by lowering the freezing start temperature during the cooling process when the starting and ending brine temperatures remained unchanged. Furthermore, if the initial freezing temperature was changed, keeping the same freezing time at constant soil thermophysical parameters, the final effective thickness of the frozen wall was almost identical. Considering the same location of the temperature measurement points, the measured temperature of the inner and outer holes of the freezing curtain was found to be consistent with the numerical simulation, demonstrating the rationality of the numerical model. On the basis of this study, a brine cooling plan is proposed, which could serve as a reference for future construction.