Applied thermal process for a hydronic snow-melting system in the coldest provincial capital of China

A hydronic experimental snow-melting system was implemented in the coldest provincial capital of China (Harbin) to investigate the thermal process. The average road-surface temperature, snow-free area ratio, period duration, and average energy consumption of the applied thermal process as affected by weather conditions of ambient temperature (−14.3 ∼ −5.7 °C), snow density (50 ∼ 150 kg/m³), and snow height (14 ∼ 90 mm) were presented and discussed. The results revealed that the average road-surface temperatures of starting, rapid, and slow periods were in the ranges of T_initial ∼ 0, 0 ∼ 1, and 1 ∼ 10 °C and the snow-free area ratios were 0, 0 ∼ 0.7, and 0.7 ∼ 1.0, respectively. When the ambient temperature declined from −5.7 to −14.3 °C, the whole process duration and average energy consumption increased by 50 min and 0.2 kW/m², respectively. As the snow density improved from 50 to 150 kg/m³, the whole process duration and average energy consumption increased by 135 min and 0.4 kW/m², respectively. When the snow height increased from 14 to 90 mm, the whole process duration increased by 320 min whereas the average energy consumption increased and decreased in the range of 1.6 ∼ 2.1 kW/m². The thermal processes were similar when the ambient temperature differences were less than 1.5 °C or the snow densities were in the range of 100 ∼ 150 kg/m³, and they were effective when the snow height was less than 43 mm.