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OSU Smart Bridge
Under the provisions of TEA-21, research is ongoing at Oklahoma State University to develop and implement a bridge deck heating system that will eliminate preferential icing on the nation's bridges and revolutionize bridge winter maintenance in the 21st Century. This new technology makes use of a ground source heat pump system which recovers energy stored in the earth and uses it to heat fluid that is circulated through the bridge deck.
The concept for the geothermal smart bridge deck heating system came about approximately five years ago, with the idea that two areas of special technical expertise available at OSU might be combined to improve safety and increase bridge deck life. These two areas are: the ground source heat pump technology and the Oklahoma Mesonet weather network. In addition the smart bridge project takes advantage of OSU expertise in heat transfer, systems simulation, computer software development, corrosion control, concrete structures, and intelligent transportation systems.
The "Smart Bridge" project is organized around the following five objectives:
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Establishing the technical feasibility,
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Optimizing the design to reach economically acceptable first costs and operating costs,
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Predicting the increase in bridge deck lifetime due to reduced application of salt,
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Quantifying the economic benefits due to increased bridge deck life, improved safety, and reduced maintenance, and
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Transferring the technology.
The five objectives are addressed by work in six categories and further broken down into a set of tasks. The first three categories, simulation and design software, system design and installation guidelines, and control systems and strategies are aimed primarily at establishing the technical feasibility and reaching economically acceptable first costs and operating costs. However, several of the tasks are cast with an eye towards technology transfer. In particular, the design software will be an important feature of transferring the technology – the software will contain the design procedure and economic analysis, and will be delivered along with training to other state departments of transportation.
The fourth category, bridge life and life cycle economic analysis, is aimed at predicting the increase in bridge deck life and quantifying the economic benefits. The fifth category, technology transfer, is included because of the importance of providing this technology to the eventual end users. Finally, the sixth category, experimental work, will involve construction, instrumentation, operation and monitoring of a working heated bridge deck system. The system will serve to provide data for validation and serve as a testbed for control and operating strategies.