Artificial ground freezing of underground mines in cold regions using thermosyphons with air insulation

Current practice of underground artificial ground freezing(AGF)typically involves huge refrigeration systems of large economic and environmental costs.In this study,a novel AGF technique is proposed deploying available cold wind in cold regions.This is achieved by a static heat transfer device called thermosyphon equipped with an air insulation layer.A refrigeration unit can be optionally integrated to meet additional cooling requirements.The introduction of air insulation isolates the thermosyphon from ground zones where freezing is not needed,resulting in:(1)steering the cooling resources(cold wind or refrigeration)towards zones of interest;and(2)minimizing refrigeration load.This design is demonstrated using well-validated mathematical models from our previous work based on two-phase enthalpy method of the ground coupled with a thermal resistance network for the thermosyphon.Two Canadian mines are considered:the Cigar Lake Mine and the Giant Mine.The results show that our proposed design can speed the freezing time by 30%at the Giant Mine and by two months at the Cigar Lake Mine.Further,a cooling load of 2.4 GWh can be saved at the Cigar Lake Mine.Overall,this study provides mining practitioners with sustainable solutions of underground AGF.

Strategies and Economic Benefit Analysis for Productive Landscape of Rape Flower Sea in Cold Regions

The cold regions are located in high latitudes and cold climates.The local excellent ornamental plant resources are relatively scarce.The plant species that are suitable for both ornamental and productive benefits of landscape of flower sea construction are also even fewer.Therefore,it is imperative to introduce and screen the plant resources suitable for cold regions to create the landscape of flower sea.The rape,an oilseed crop,was used as a research object in order to create a productive flower landscape with both ornamental and economic values in cold regions.Four rape flower varieties,Qingza No.5,7,9,and 11,were introduced from Qinghai Hufeng Agricultural Science and Technology Group Co.,Ltd.They were planted in the experimental practice base of Northeast Agricultural University in three batches.Development characteristics and seed yield of rape flowers on different sowing dates were studied.The fuzzy probability method was used to comprehensively evaluate the varieties.The results showed that the rape flowers grew well in Harbin City during the experimental sowing period,which could form a good landscape of flower sea and had a considerable rapeseed yield.It could be widely used in cold urban and rural areas,such as Harbin City.In view of the experimental results,the strategies of creating a productive landscape of rape flower sea were proposed and the economic benefits were analyzed.It could change the status quo of a uniform landscape of flower sea in cold regions,help the development of rural tourism,and promote local economic income.

Construction Technology of Warm Mix Asphalt Pavement in Cold High-Altitude Areas

With the continuous development of domestic highway construction,highway civil engineering and service level quality have attracted much attention.Good pavement quality and high-quality service make people feel comfortable and smooth when traveling.High-quality pavement can significantly reduce the probability of traffic accidents.At present,there is a direct relationship between pavement quality and pavement construction operations.Carrying out pavement construction operations in cold high-altitude areas requires a reasonable selection of construction equipment and methods.The application of warm-mix asphalt pavement construction technology can ensure pavement quality.Therefore,this paper analyzes the advantages of warm-mix technology,the environmental characteristics of cold high-altitude areas,and construction preparations,and discusses the construction technology of warm-mix asphalt pavement in cold high-altitude areas in detail,to improve the overall road quality of cold high-altitude areas.

Dynamic response characteristics of a circular lined tunnel under anisotropy frost heave of overlying soil at the tunnel portal section in cold regions

The rapid development of traffic engineering in cold regions and its consequent problems need to be considered.In this paper,the dynamic response characteristics of the tunnel portal section in cold regions with harmonic load acting on the lining were studied in the frequency domain.The lining is in close contact with the frozen soil,and there is relative movement between the frozen and unfrozen soil due to the phase change.The analytical solution of the vibration of tunnel portal section caused by the harmonic load acting on the lining was derived under the consideration of the anisotropy frost heave of overlying soil.Based on the continuity conditions and boundary conditions,the undetermined coefficients were obtained,and the analytical solutions for different medium displacements and stresses of the cold-region tunnel system were acquired.The vertical pressure coefficient was equivalently simplified as a variable that could be used to replace the thickness of the overlying soil above the tunnel.The analysis of the parameter model shows that the change of the medium parameters(lining,frozen,and unfrozen soil)affects the circumferential stresses,the radial displacements and their peak frequencies of the soil.For example,the increase of density ratio of tunnel lining to frozen soil decreases the radial stresses of the frozen and unfrozen soil;the increase of volumetric frost heaving strain of the frozen soil increases the radial displacements of the frozen surface and decreases the stability of the frozen surface;the increasing of thickness of the frozen soil significantly reduces the radial displacement of unfrozen soil at dimensionless radius η=4.5 compared with that of frozen soil at η=1.5.

Correlation analysis of longitudinal cracks and vertical deformation within asphalt pavement of cold regions

The asphalt pavement longitudinal crack is a common distress in cold regions,resulting from uneven deformation of the subgrade.Analysis of the correlation law between uneven deformation and crack distress is of positive significance for understanding the mechanism of crack initiation,and putting forward treatment measures.In view of the complexity of longitudinal crack inducement and road surface deformation,the grey relational method was used to analyze this relationship.Through long-term monitoring of the vertical deformation data of typical road sections,the vertical deformation law of the pavement surface and its deformation characteristics under the action of temperature field are analyzed.Parameters such as vertical relative deformation,vertical relative deformation rate and vertical differential deformation VDSr were constructed to describe vertical deformation characteristics.Typical distribution characteristics of longitudinal fractures and their length and distribution characteristics are also described.The grey correlation analysis theory was utilized to analyze the relationship between deformation characteristics of sections,cross sections and monitoring points and longitudinal crack characteristics(length and location).The analysis reveals a linear positive correlation or a high correlation between several indicators.This study can provide a deeper understanding of the occurrence and development mechanism of longitudinal cracks in asphalt pavement of cold areas,and give references for the research of road engineering structure,materials and distress prevention.

The effect of living environment on developmental disorders in cold regions

Developmental disorders(DDs)are a kind of chronic maladies,which can cause serious irreversible detriment to children’s physical and mental health.It is predominantly regulated by the interaction of environment and heredity.Cold regions are mainly located in the high latitudes of China.Their living environment is characterized by frequent cold wave,huge temperature difference,severe air pollution,high calorie diet,less exercise,smoking,drinking,etc.In recent years,substantial advances have been made in studies of the correlation between the living environment features in cold regions and the DDs.Accordingly,this article reviews the impact of the peculiar living environment of cold regions on DDs,with a view to provide fresh prevention strategies for reducing the morbidity of DDs in China cold regions by ameliorating living environment.

Settlement Control Technology of High Filled Soil-Rock Embankment in Alpine and High-Altitude Areas

China's infrastructure has gradually achieved large-scale development,and transportation construction has also shifted from east to west,transitioning from plains to mountainous areas.High-fill embankments of different sizes in mountainous areas are unavoidable,and the settlement of high-fill embankments is usually the most concerned issue in high-fill projects.According to the current research of highway projects,most of the high embankments in mountainous areas are soil-rock mixed embankments or rock-filled embankments,and their post-construction settlements are directly related to construction technology and the type of filler used.In this paper,the problems in the settlement control of earth-filled embankment and related factors are analyzed in detail.The settlement control technology of high-fill embankment in high-cold and high-altitude areas is also discussed,so as to ensure the overall quality of high-fill embankment.

Study on Effect of Iron in Anther Media of Early Japonica Rice in Cold Region

In this study, through vitro culturing anthers of 7 F1 progenies of early Japonica rice in cold region on medium with different Fe2+ contents, it was found that Fe2+ content generated greater impacts on the induction rate and green plantlet differentiation. The result demonstrated that if Fe2+ increased from 32 to 40 mg/kg, the induction rate of early Japonica rice anther culture in N6 culture media was more then 1.4 times higher than that in N6 culture media containing 5.6 mg/kg Fe2+. In this concentration range, the induction rate increased with the increase of Fe2+ content, while if the concentration was over this concentration range, the induction rate decreased with the increase of Fe2+, showing single peak distribution. When the Fe2+ was 40 mg/kg in differentiation medium, the differentiation rate decreased dramatically. The green plantlet differentiations of callus which were induced on culture media containing 32-40 mg/kg Fe2+ were different, when they were cultured on MS culture media, and 85.7% materials could increase green plantlet productivity to about 7.8%. Therefore, increasing Fe2+in induction media properly could increase anther culture efficiency of early Japonica rice in cold region.

Population Construction and Super-high Yield Characteristics of Japonica Super Rice in Cold Regions

[Objective] This study was conducted to construct a super-high yield population of Japnica rice in cold regions of North China and to explore its characteristics. [Method] The super rice variety Longjing 21 was selected as the experimental material. Different row spacing（two levels）, plant spacing（three levels） and seedling number per hill（three levels） were designed in field trials. Then, the growth stages,dry matter accumulation, leaf area, yield and yield components of these different treatments were measured. [Result] Rice yield had significantly negative correlation with plant spacing and row spacing, but no significant correlation with seedling number per hill. Rice yield was mainly affected by plant spacing, and less affected by seedling number per hill. The best recommended specifications for plant spacing of super rice variety Longjing 21 were 24 cm for row spacing, 12 cm for plant spacing and five seedlings per hill, and the expected yield was 10 473.0 kg/hm^2.The increased number of total spikelets（4.5×108hm2or more） in populations was the major reason for high yield. Super-high yield populations had fewer tillers at the early growth stage and achieved the expected number of productive tillers at critical leaf-age（June 25）, and tiller number peaked at jointing stage（July 6） and was about 1.2 times of the expected number. The percentage of productive tillers in total tillers of super-high yield population was more than 85% at heading stage. At middle growth stage（from jointing to heading stage）, the dry matter accumulation, leaf area index（LAI） at heading stage, effective leaf area, spikelet number of population,spikelet number per leaf area unit（cm2）, and culm-sheath weight per stem of super-high yield population were significantly higher than those of other populations.At late growth stage（from heading to maturity stage）, the leaf area decreasing rate of super-high yield population was significantly smaller than that of other populations. At late growth stage（from heading to maturity stage）, the leaf area decreasing rate, crop growth rate, net assimilation rate, biomass accumulation, number of filled grains per leaf area unit（cm^2） and grain weight per leaf area unit（cm^2） of high-yield population were significantly higher than those of other populations. Output and translocation of dry matter（weight per stem and sheath and total filling rate at maturity） from heading to milky stage of super-high yield population were significantly higher than those of other populations. [Conclusion] The characteristics of superhigh yield rice in cold region of North China are enriching the amount of actual filling of sink through improving photosynthetic efficiency from heading to maturity stage on the basis of enough panicle numbers.

Characterization of Reverse Thermo-sensitive Genic Male Sterile Lines in Cold Regions of China

Yannong S, a reverse thermo-sensitive genic male sterile （TGMS） line, is sterile at high temperature and fertile at low temperature. In the present study, the fertility of Yannong S and the japonica reverse TGMS lines derived from it was in- vestigated in Harbin, Heilongjiang from 2013 to 2015. The results showed that Yan- nong S was completely male sterile in July and August （the hottest months of the year in Harbin）, and the seed setting rate of bagged panicles was 0. We also in- ferred that the critical temperature for inducing the sterility of Yannong S was higher than 28 ℃. Most of the japonica reverse TGMS lines derived from Yannong S were completely aborted in July and August, with a seed setting rate of 0. It can be con- cluded that the reverse TGMS lines derived from Yannong S are genetically stable lines that have a long period of sterility in cold regions, so they may be the ideal genetic materials for the development and in-situ seed production of japonica hybrid rice.

THE FREQUENCY CHARACTERISTICS OF WARM AND COLD EPISODES IN THE NIO REGIONS

On the basis of NOAA/CPC data of sea surface temperature anomaly in the Nifio regions during Jan. 1950 - Dec. 2003, the wavelet power spectrum of SST were studied with significance and confidence testing at different scales in this paper. It shows that the SST are provided with multi-time scales structure nested one another, and vary on scales of 2 - 7 years, 8 - 20 years and 〉30 years. The most significant variation of the warm and cold episodes is in the 4-year band of period. The power, frequency structure and confidence of the same episode are different in different Nino regions. The intensity of oscillations is increasing at low frequency bands and decreasing at high frequency bands from east to west in the Nino regions, especially after 1970.

Research progress in cold region wetlands, China

China has some of the most abundant wetland resources in the world. Cold region wetlands cover more than 60% of the total natural wetlands in China and play an indispensable role in global climate regulation, water holding, uptake and emission of greenhouse gases, and biodiversity conservation. Because cold region wetlands are sensitive to climatic and environmental changes, it is important for ecological conservation and environmental management to summarize and analyze current research progress on these specific ecosystems. This paper reviews the focus of present studies on the typical cold region wetlands in the northeast region and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau of China from several aspects as follows： types and distribution, responses of permafrost to climatic changes, uptake and emission of greenhouse gas, eco-hydrological processes, and vegetation succession. Our conclusions are： global wanning has a long-term and serious impact on cold region permafrost; emission of greenhouse gases has great temporal and spatial heterogeneity; and hygrophytes in the cold region wetlands have been generally replaced by xerophytes, although it is still unclear whether the vegetation diversity index has increased or decreased. Based on this review, some key topics for future study are recommended as follows： （1） the response of degeneration of cold region permafrost at various spatial and temporal scales; （2） prediction of wetland degeneration tendency by coupling weather, soil, and hydrological models; （3） evaluation of carbon storage; （4） the actual response mechanisms of greenhouse gases to climatic changes; and （5） development of water requirement calculation methods tailored to the unique ecosystems of cold region wetlands.

2D DEM analyses for T-M coupling effects of extreme temperatures on surrounding rock-supporting system of a tunnel in cold region

Taking the Kunlunshan Tunnel on Qinghai Tibet Railway as an engineering background, the curved wall-inverted arch lining of the tunnel was simplified into the straight wall-umbrella arch one, and the fractured rock mass with developed joints was treated as a discrete medium in the calculation. Using the UDEC code, the numerical simulations for thermo-mechanical coupling processes in the surrounding rock mass-supporting system were carried out aiming at the conditions of mean temperature, extreme highest temperature and extreme lowest temperature in one year. The distributions and changes of stresses, displacements, plastic zones, temperatures in the rock mass of near field, as well as the loading states in the model-building concrete and bolting were investigated and compared for these three computation cases. The results show that compared with the case of mean temperature, the ranges, where the temperatures of surrounding rock mass change obviously, are 6.0 m and 6.5 m, respectively, for the cases of extreme highest temperature and extreme lowest temperature; the displacements of tunnel are raised by 3.2 9.3 and 5.7 12.7 times, and the thicknesses of plastic zones reach 1.5 2.5 m and 2.0 4.5 m for case 2 and 3, respectively; the extreme temperatures of air have strong effects on the stress, deformation and failure states of supporting structure of tunnel in cold region, and the influence degree of extreme lowest temperature is the highest.

Influences of Seasonal Freezing and Thawing on Soil Water-stable Aggregates in Orchard in High Cold Region,Northeast China

Soil aggregate stability,as an important indicator of soil functions,may be affected by seasonal freezing and thawing(SFT)and land use in high cold and wet regions.Therefore,comprehensive understanding the effects of SFT on aggregate stability in orchards during winter and spring is crucial to develop appropriate management strategies that can effectively alleviate the degradation of soil quality to ensure sustainable development of orchard ecosystems.To determine the mechanism of degradation in orchard soil quality,the effects of SFT on the stability of water-stable aggregates were examined in apple-pear orchards(Pyrus ussuriensis var.ovoidea)of four different ages(11,25,40,and 63 yr)on 0 to 5%slopes before freezing and after thawing from October 2015 to June 2016 in Longjing City,Yanbian Prefecture,Northeast China,involving a comparison of planted versus adjacent uncultivated lands(control).Soil samples were collected to investigate water-stable aggregate stability in three incremental soil layers(0–20,20–40 and 40–60 cm).In the same samples,iron oxide,organic matter,and clay contents of the soil were also determined.Results showed that the destructive influences of SFT on water-stable aggregates were more pronounced with the increased orchards ages,and SFT exerted severe effects on water-stable aggregates of older orchards(40 and 63 yr)than juvenile orchards.Undergoing SFT,the soil instability index and the percentage of aggregate destruction increased by mean 0.15 mm and 1.86%,the degree of aggregation decreased by mean 1.32%,and the erosion resistance weakened,which consequently led to aggregate stability decreased.In addition,soil free,amorphous,and crystalline iron oxide as well as soil organic matter and clay contents are all important factors affecting the stability of water-stable aggregates,and their changes in their contents were consistent with those in the stability of water-stable aggregates.The results of this study suggest that long-term planting fruit trees can exacerbate the damaging effects of SFT on aggregate stability and further soil erosion increases and nutrient losses in an orchard,which hider sustainable use of soil and the productivity orchards.

Study on the Improvement Strategies of Physical Environment for Square in Severe Cold Regions' Rural Areas

To improve the comfortable physical environment for square in severe cold regions' rural areas. This paper applies the methods of questionnaires,field testing and statistical analysis to compare and analyze two different square cases of Qingyunpu in Liaoning Province,and conclude the main factors which affect the physical environmental comfort. The improvement strategies for physical environment of rural square are put forward from the aspects of site selection,road position,orientation,landscape design,and ground pavement material selection,aiming to provide the design basis for the physical environment of square in severe cold regions' rural areas.

Structural analysis and design of frost resistance function for subgrade of high-speed railway ballasted track in cold regions

According to the technical characteristics of short fixed wheelbase of a high-speed carriage, a subgrade-track integrated space mechanical response analysis model is proposed for trains under the action ofbiaxial load after the comparison of the stress distribution characteristics of the ballast track subgrade bed structures for high-speed railway under the action of uniaxial load and biaxial load. The loading threshold value （high-cycle long-term dynamic strength） under the circum- stance where the cumulative deformation of subgrade structure gradually develops and finally reaches the convergent state, and its relationship with the foundation coefficient K30 were deduced, based on the characteristics of cumulative defor- mation evolution obtained from the unit structure filling model test under the action of cyclic loading. In view of structure stability and frost resistance requirements of the railway subgrade in cold regions, technical conditions to maintain good service performance of subgrade structure of high-speed railway ballasted track are discussed and analyzed. Study results show that the additive effect manifests itself obviously for railway train bogies under the action of biaxial load than uni- axial load, which has a significant dynamic effect on the subgrade bed bottom and a slight effect on the surface layer. Thus, the adoption of a biaxial load model in the design of a high-speed railway subgrade accurately reflects the vehicle load. Pursuant to the structure design principle, the design method of the subgrade structure of high-speed railway ballasted track is proposed to meet the technical requirements such as structural strength, bearing stiffness and high-cyclic and long-term stability. Technical indicators are obtained for the variation of thickness of the surface layer of reinforced sub- grade bed in the double-layer subgrade mode along with the change of K30 at the subgrade bed bottom. The double-layer structure mode of ＂closure on the upper layer and drainage on the lower layer＂ was proposed in order to meet the water- proofing and drainage requirements of the upper layer of the subgrade bed in cold regions. A dense-framework graded gravel filler with weak water permeability at a coefficient of 10 4 cm/s is used on the upper layer and the void-framework graded gravel filler at the water permeability coefficient of 10 2 cm/s is adopted on the lower layer.

Current developments of research on permafrost engineering and cold region environment:a report of the 8^(th) International Symposium on Permafrost Engineering

The Eighth International Symposium on Permafrost Engineering was held in Xi’an,China,October 2009.The major topics discussed in the symposium included:permafrost engineering (involving design,construction and evaluation);mitigation of frost hazards in the regions affected by seasonally frozen ground;properties of frozen soils,model development and their applications;frost hazards and periglacial environments in mountain and plateau regions;climatic,environmental and cryospheric changes;and permafrost hydrology,cold regions water resources and land uses.The papers submitted to the symposium and lectures during the meeting represented some new developments of research on cold region engineering and environment.Here we summarized the works of the symposium in topics including:Permafrost engineering;General geocryology;Properties of frozen soils:model development and their applications;And climatic,environmental and cryospheric changes.During the symposium,the attendees pointed out that future studies should pay more attention to theoretical study and engineering mechanism study,and also on interaction between climate change and cold region environments and their engineering affects.

Short-term responses to salinity of seabuckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) seedlings in the extremely cold and saline Qinghai region of China

The investigation of the mechanisms of plant adaptation to stressor action is one of the leading directions of current biological studies. To understand the mechanism of salt tolerance of seabuckthom （Hippophae rhamnoides L.） and identify its ability to cope with the salinity effect in the saline and extremely cold region of Qinghai, China, a test was conducted with two-year-old seedlings subjected to 0, 200, 400 and 600 mmol·L^-1 NaClsolutions for 30 d. The results show that with an increase in salinity, the biomass of H. rhamnoides seedlings clearly decreased. Leaf water potential （ψw） and relative water content （RWC） were significantly reduced under salinity, with severe water shortages appearing in leaves. At the same time, the total chlorophyll content declined markedly. When salinity increased and stress time prolonged, the net CO2 assimilation rate （A） significantly declined. Intercellular CO2 concentration （Ci） declined at first and was then followed by an increase over the stress time. We conclude that H. rhamnoides grown in the extremely cold and saline region of Qinghai has a certain resistance to salt, which can be planted at appropriate salinity levels.

Effect of Salt Stress on Nitrogen Assimilation of Functional Leaves and Root System of Rice in Cold Region

The aims were to investigate the effect of salt stress on key enzyme activity of nitrogen metabolism and the concentration of nitrate nitrogen and ammonium nitrogen response to salt stress.Two rice cultivars,Mudanjiang 30(sensitive cultivar)and Longdao 5(salt-tolerant cultivar),were treated with different salt concentrations(CK 0%,S10.075%,S20.15%,S30.225%and S40.3%).The results showed that the activities of nitrate reductase(NR),glutamine synthase(GS),glutamate synthase(GOGAT)and glutamate dehydrogenase(GDH)in the functional leaves and roots of rice in cold region presented a single peak curve change and the peak occurred in the heading stage;compared with those of the CK,the activities of NR,GS and GOGAT of rice in cold region decreased,but the activity of GDH increased in the heading stage under salt stress.The variation for key enzyme activity of nitrogen metabolism was the highest under S4 treatment.The activities of NR,GS and GOGAT in the functional leaves significantly decreased compared with those in roots;the concentrations of nitrate nitrogen and ammonium nitrogen in the functional leaves and roots of rice in cold region presented a single peak curve change and the peak occurred in the heading stage;compared with that of the CK,the concentration of nitrate nitrogen decreased in leaves and roots,the concentration of ammonium nitrogen decreased and the concentration of ammonium nitrogen in roots increased under salt stress.The variations for the activities of NR,GS and GOGAT in the functional leaves and roots of Longdao 5 were less than those of Mudanjiang 30 under the same concentration of salt stress.

Model test study of frost heaving pressures in tunnels excavated in fractured rock mass in cold regions

Based on the similarity theory, taking the horseshoe, city-gate and round linings as examples, the value and distribution regularities of normal frost heaving pressures （hereinafter as frost heaving pressures） in tunnels excavated in fractured rock mass in cold regions under different constraints and freezing depths were studied by a test model. It was found that the larger the frozen depth, the larger the frost heaving pressure, and the stronger the top constraint, the larger the frost heaving pressure. For the horseshoe lining and city-gate lining, the top constraint has a greater effect on the frost heaving pressures on the arch and the inverted arch. For the round lining, the influences of the top constraint on the frost heaving pressure in all linings are almost the same. The frost heaving pressure is maximum on the city-gate lining and minimal on the round lining. The largest frost heaving pressure all occur near the foot of the inverted arch for the three kinds of lining. Thus, the test data basically coincide with the observed in situ data.