New soil thermal stabilization systems for building fundaments in permafrost regions

This paper describes new building construction methods that utilize soil thermal stabilization regimes to compensate for negative environmental warming and anthropogenic factors that impair fundament stability. Based on long-standing research, the Fundamentstroyarkos Company (FSA) of Tyumen, Russia has developed four primary seasonally active cooling devices (SCDs) that maintain soil in the frozen state, which are now extensively used on oil and gas facilities located in cold regions of Russia. This paper reports on the testing and validation of these SCDs in experimental conditions. On this basis, designs and technologies for building bases and foundations on permafrost with use of soil thermal stabilization systems, using carbon dioxide as the heat-transfer agent, were developed.