Sciences in Cold and Arid Regions ›› 2019, Vol. 11 ›› Issue (1): 13-20.doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1226.2019.00013

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The changing process and trend of ground temperature around tower foundations of Qinghai-Tibet Power Transmission line

YanLi Xie1,QiHao Yu2,*(),YanHui You2,ZhongQiu Zhang1,TingTao Gou1   

  1. 1 State Grid Qinghai Electric Power Research Institute, Xining, Qinghai 810008, China
    2 State Key Laboratory of Frozen Soil Engineering, Northwest Institute of Eco-environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
  • Received:2018-08-30 Accepted:2018-10-09 Online:2019-02-01 Published:2019-03-04
  • Contact: QiHao Yu E-mail:yuqh@lzb.ac.cn
  • Supported by:
    This work was supported by National Natural Science Fund of China (Grant No. 41401088), State Grid Qinghai Electric Power Research Institute (SGQHDKYOSBJS201600077, SGQHDKYOSBJS1700068), Funds of State Key Laboratory of Frozen Soil Engineering (Nos. SKLFSE-ZY-17, SKLFSE-ZT-32).

Abstract:

After the construction of Qinghai-Tibet Highway and Railway, the Qinghai-Tibet Power Transmission (QTPT) line is another major permafrost engineering project with new types of engineering structures. The changing process and trend of ground temperature around tower foundations are crucial for the stability of QTPT. We analyzed the change characteristics and tendencies of the ground temperature based on field monitoring data from 2010 to 2014. The results reveal that soil around the tower foundations froze and connected with the artificial permafrost induced during the construction of footings after the first freezing period, and the soil below the original permafrost table kept freezing in subsequent thawing periods. The ground temperature lowered to that of natural fields, fast or slowly for tower foundations with thermosyphons, while for tower foundations without thermosyphons, the increase in ground temperature resulted in higher temperature than that of natural fields. Also, the permafrost temperature and ice content are significant factors that influence the ground temperature around tower foundations. Specifically, the ground temperature around tower foundations in warm and ice-rich permafrost regions decreased slowly, while that in cold and ice poor permafrost regions cooled faster. Moreover, foundations types impacted the ground temperature, which consisted of different technical processes during construction and variant of tower footing structures. The revealed changing process and trend of the ground temperature is beneficial for evaluating the thermal regime evolution around tower foundations in the context of climate change.

Key words: Qinghai-Tibet Power Transmission line, tower foundation, ground temperature change characteristic, trend

Figure 1

Location of the monitored tower foundations of QTPT"

Table 1

List of monitoring towers"

No. Number Location Type of foundation Type of permafrost Thermosyphons Natural ground temperature (°C) Notes
1 490# Xieshui River Cast-in-place footing Ice rich No ?0.52 Comparison of thermosyphon efficiency
2 492# Cast-in-place footing Ice rich Yes ?0.07
3 571# Chumar River Precast footing Ice poor Yes ?1.33 Comparison of thermosyphon efficiency
4 572# Precast footing Ice poor No ?1.24
5 754# Beilu River Cast-in-place footing Ice rich Yes ?0.62
6 800# Fenghuo Mt. Cast-in-place bulb pile Ice rich No ?2.86
7 880# Wuli Basin Cast-in-place footing Ice rich Yes ?1.15
8 1,020# Kaixinling Cast-in-place footing Ice rich Yes ?0.62
9 1,323# Tanggula Mt. Precast footing Ice rich Yes ?1.24
10 1,443# Touerjiu Mt. Cast-in-place bulb pile Ice rich Yes ?0.72

Figure 2

Temperature sensor installation location for cast-in-place conical footings and pre-cast footings (a), and for cast-in-place bulb piles and cast-in-place piles (b)"

Figure 3

Contour of ground temperature on October 1, 2011 of 571# tower (a) and 800# tower (b)"

Figure 4

Ground temperature of 800# tower at Fenghuo Mt."

Figure 5

Ground temperature of 1,443# tower at Tou'erjiu Mt."

Figure 6

Ground temperature of 1,020# tower at Kaixinling"

Figure 7

Ground temperature of 572# tower at Chumaer River high plain"

Figure 8

Contour of the ground temperature of the 571# tower at Chumaer River high plain. (a) April 15, 2011; (b) April 15, 2013"

Figure 9

Ground temperature of 1,020# tower at Kaixinling"

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