Design of hydronic snow melting systems for pavement

To improve the design reliability of hydronic snow melting system, design alternative of hydronic snow melting systems for pavement in China is discussed. Based on the heat and mass coupled snow melting model, the effect of idling time, heat fluxes, pipe material, meteorological condition and control strategy on the snow melting performance has been investigated. The design alternative for hydronic snow melting system also has been proposed. Results indicated that idling time, input heat flux, thermal properties of pavement materials and embedded pipe play an important role on snow melting performance. Thus, it is possible to adjust the operation parameters and pavement design parameters to optimize the snow melting performance. Meanwhile, location and target performance also affect the required design alternative. According to the weather data corresponding to snow event from 1981 to 2010, the required heating load for hydronic snow melting system in China is suggested. The proposed heating load will give a lot of suggestion in the designation of hydronic heated system for pavement in China.