SESSION: DEICER MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS

June 18, 2014, 2:30pm. Track B

OVERVIEW OF CHAPTER 8, WINTER OPERATIONS AND SALT, SAND, AND CHEMICAL MANAGEMENT OF THE NCHRP REPORT 25-25(04)

Xianming Shi, Montana State University

EVALUATION OF SALT-RICH BIOCHAR AS A ROADWAY DE-ICING AGENT IN SUPPORT OF THE RECYCLING OF APPLIED ROAD SALTS THROUGH PHYTOREMEDIATION AND BIO-FUEL PRODUCTIONAndy Alden, Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI)

SALT MANAGEMENT RESEARCH IN VIRGINIA Jimmy White, Virginia Center for Transportation Innovation & Research

SESSION: DEICER MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS Overview of Chapter 8, Winter Operations and Salt, Sand, and Chemical Management of the NCHRP Report 25-25(04

Xianming Shi, Montana State University

The Revised Chapter 8 presents information on recommended practices and strategic planning for reduced salt usage, highlights innovative DOT practices and programs that achieved reductions or improved environmental outcomes. Specific topics covered include:

• Basic information on the most commonly used snow and ice control materials, their impacts on the environment, and public concerns on the use of these products.

• Strategic planning and stewardship practices that can be used to reduce snow and ice material usage, such as anti-icing, utilizing available pavement and weather information, etc.

• Precision application methods and material distribution systems.

• The importance of record keeping and monitoring, management at winter operations facilities, and appropriate training of winter maintenance personnel.

This work also provides research recommendations to address knowledge gaps or areas with limited or little research on the topics discussed in Revised Chapter 8.

Research Interests1. Durability of civil infrastructure: understanding, preventing or mitigating the impact of service environment on metals, concrete, asphalt and structures (e.g., corrosion monitoring system, high performance coatings, preservation and maintenance techniques for pavements, and rehabilitation techniques for bridge decks).2. Environmental sustainability: with a focus on the use of nanotechnology, green technology, and beneficial microorganisms for: environmentally friendly concrete, advanced cementitious materials, eco-friendly asphalt, green buildings, and environmental preservation3. Sustainable transportation systems engineering, especially products, technologies, and systems to facilitate environmentally responsible best practices in road weather management, snow and ice control, dust suppression, and other maintenance activities.4. New energy technologies: microbial fuel cells, energy harvesting, advanced functional materials, etc. 

Minimizing the Environmental Footprint of Winter Highway

Operations

Xianming Shi, PhD, PE, Research Professor

A PRESENTATION AT 2014 TRB COMMITTEE ADC60SUSTAINABLE & RESILIENT INFRASTRUCTURE WORKSHOP

NEW YORK CITY, JUNE 18, 2014

Revised Chapter 8,Winter Operations and Salt, Sand & Chemical Management

, of the Final Report NCHRP 25-25(04) Environmental Stewardship Practices, Procedures, and Policies for Highway

Construction and MaintenanceMy coauthors:

Laura Fay, Laura Fay, Michelle Akin, David Veneziano

Supplemented by:

NCHRP Synthesis 449,Strategies to Mitigate the Impacts of Chloride Roadway Deicers on the Natural Environment

My coauthors:

Laura Fay, Jiang Huang

1. Impacts of Winter Highway Operations

2. Reducing Sand Usage

3. Strategic Planning to Reduce Salt Usage

4. Proactive Stewardship Practices

5. Precision Application

6. Monitoring & Keeping Records

7. WM Facility Management

8. Training

9. Concluding RemarksPhoto courtesy of GNP.

Outline

1. Benefits of Winter Highway Operations

• Fewer accidents, improved mobility, reduced travel costs, reduced fuel use

• Sustained economic productivity, continued emergency services, …

1a. WM in the U.S.

• > 70% roads, 70% population

• Hwys: 2.3 $bln/yr + 5 $bln/yr

MnDOT Case Study:

• (4,600 crashes)= 29% ↓

• $10.9M in travel time savings

• $48.4M in user fuel savings

• Total $227M saved, b/c of 6.2

• Intangible benefits

Ye, Z., Veneziano, D., Shi, X. Transportation Research Record, 2013, 2329: 17.Ye, Z., ..., Shi, X. Transportation Research Record, 2014, in press.Fay, L., Veneziano, D., Ye, Z., Williams, D., Shi. X. Transportation Research

Record 2010, 2169: 174.

1b. E

mer

gin

g C

hal

len

ges

Shi, X. Journal of Public Works & Infrastructure 2010, 2(4): 318.

1c. Impacts of Salt & Other Deicers

www.witnerservices.net

www.ci.bellevue.wa.us

Photo courtesy of M. Mills

www.clf.org

www.modot.org

www.syracuse.com

www.miissoulanews.bigskypress.com

1d. Impacts of Salt & Other Deicers (cont’d)

Fay, L., Shi, X. ASCE Journal of Cold Regions Engineering 2011, 25(3): 89.Shi, X., et al. Cold Regions Sci. Eng. 2013, 86: 36; Corrosion Reviews 2010,

28(3-4): 105. Corrosion Reviews 2009, 27(1-2): 23. Materials & Structures 2010, 43(7): 933. Construction & Building Materials 2011, 25(2): 957.ASCE Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, 2012, 24(7): 805.

Pan, T., He, X., Shi, X. Journal of the Association of Asphalt Paving Technologists (AAPT) 2008, 77: 773.

Fay, L., Shi, X. Water, Air & Soil Pollution, 2012, 223: 2751.

Sustainability = economic growth + social progress + ecological balance

2. Reducing Sand Usage & Managing Traction Materials

• More materials, lower LOS• Pre-wetting

– Liquid product– Hot water

• Heating sand• Using other materials• Reduce bounce/scatter• Apply in appropriate locations

– Low speed roads, hills, curves, intersections

3. Strategic Planning for Reduced Salt Usage

3a. Salt Management Plans– A statement of policies & objectives

• Identifies: road use, salt vulnerable areas, storage sites, snow disposal sites, training, …

– Documentation– Proposed approaches– Training & Management Review

3b. Iowa DOT Salt Model• Allocates salt to garages based on weather

conditions & policy usage requirements.• Creates a salt budget for each garage

Garage Salt Use Summary Through 4/15/2012 Payperiod 13 & 14

Scale: < 90% 90% - 100% Over 100%

CC GarageAllocation

(Tons)Salt Used

(Tons)Salt Target

(Tons)% Target

Used% Allocation Used

D1551602 Ames 3,057 1,163.4 1,710.4 68.0% 38.1%551604 Marshalltown 1,871 829.6 1,081.7 76.7% 44.3%551605 Tama 1,315 717.8 642.5 111.7% 54.6%551607 Grundy Center 1,714 459.8 689.1 66.7% 26.8%551608 Iowa Falls 1,796 512.4 820.6 62.5% 28.5%551609 Williams 2,179 726.3 1,133.7 64.1% 33.3%551611 Fort Dodge 1,573 558.3 771.6 72.4% 35.5%551612 Gowrie 840 156.0 449.4 34.7% 18.6%551613 Jefferson 1,005 459.3 488.1 94.1% 45.7%551614 Boone 1,263 688.2 573.5 120.0% 54.5%551802 Malcom 1,185 628.4 674.4 93.2% 53.0%551803 Grinnell 1,106 488.5 568.9 85.9% 44.2%551804 Newton 2,370 921.3 1,045.9 88.1% 38.9%551806 Altoona 1,261 542.6 410.9 132.0% 43.0%551807 Des Moines North 2,778 972.4 1,012.0 96.1% 35.0%551808 Grimes 3,750 1,264.8 1,636.0 77.3% 33.7%551809 Carlisle 1,603 542.7 429.6 126.3% 33.9%

Annette DunnIowa DOT

Statewide Salt Use vs. Target

78%

0

100%

200%

3c. Salt Matrix & Pre-set Spreader Application Rates

• Goal: Reduce application rates while maintaining same LOS

• Considers: pavement temp., heating/cooling trends, road condition at time of service, available maintenance strategies

• Provides: recommended application rates for liquid and solid for initial & subsequent treatments on reference sheets– 4 storm scenarios (light, moderate, & heavy snow,

freezing rain)– Drivers use their judgment to make decisions

Kentucky Department of Highways

4. Proactive Stewardship Practices for Reducing Salt,

Sand & Chemical Usage

4a. A

nti

-ici

ng

• LOS, product, abrasives & plowing• 20 – 65 gal/l-m• Cost savings + mobility & safety• reducing impacts to the environment,

infrastructure, vehicles• Limitations:

– Cold temps, rain/sleet, blowing snow, air temp above freezing & rising, high humidity

“…prevent the formation or development of bonded snow & ice by timely applications of a chemical freezing-point depressant” (vs. DLA)

4b. R

WIS

• Used to time treatments & determine which treatments to use

• Benefits:– LOS– Cost savings– Aid in maintenance response– Efficiency

• Benefit/cost ratio : 1.4 to 11

Real-time road condition information

4c. Pavement Sensors & Thermal Mapping

• Monitoring, planning, treatment strategies, forecasting

• Invasive and non-invasive

www.vaisala.com

Maine DOT

www.enterpriseflasher.com www.cbc.ca www.bangordailynew.com

• Monitoring, planning, treatment strategy, prevent over-application

• Colorado DOT– Non-contract friction

measurements– Provide good short/long-term

assessment of product performance

4d.

Fric

tion

Mea

sure

men

ts

www.dot.state.oh.us

www.mastrad.com

www.highfrictionroads.com

www.vaisala.com

4e. Residual Chemical Measurement

• Monitor road surface product concentration• On-vehicle, embedded, or non-contact• Accurate/recalibrated application rates• Link measurements with automatic spreader

controls• Benefits:

– Prevents over-application, saves material & $$$

Salinity sensors have been used to make educated decisions about reapplication (Ye et al., 2012).

4f. Road Weather Management Decision Support

– Cost & material savings, benefit/cost: 1.33 to 8.67, less use of vehicles

– Lessons learned: time needed to refine forecast & get management on board, continued training & exposure

Tools that integrate road weather forecasts, coded maintenance rules of practice, resource data to provide recommended treatment strategies (FHWA 2011)

4g. MDSS

4h. Improved Weather

Forecasts

Strong, C.K., Ye, Z., Shi, X. Safety Effects of Winter Weather: The State of Knowledge and Remaining Challenges. Transport Reviews 2010, 30(6), 677-699.

Ye, Z., Shi, X., Strong, C.K., Greenfield, T. H. Evaluation of the Effects of Weather Information on Winter Maintenance Costs. Transportation Research Record 2009, 2107, 104-110.

Strong, C., Shi, X. Benefit-Cost Analysis of Weather Information for Winter Maintenance: A Case Study. Transportation Research Record 2008, 2055, 119-127.

4i. Drift Control & Snow Fences

≥8 ft

Wildlife habitat, control erosion, improve water quality, reduce spring-time flooding, sequester carbon

• Reduce blowing & drifting snow• Low cost snow storage• Increased safety• Reduce need for ice control product• 25 yr lifespan at $1.40 per ft2

5. Precision Application to Manage & Reduce Chemical Applications

• Benefits– Improved material

placement– Return on investment– Reduced chemical usage– Improved environmental

stewardship

• Costs– Equipment– Training– Calibration

5a. Material Distribution Systems• Tailgate Spreaders &

Reverse dumping• Multipurpose spreaders• Rear Discharge

Spreaders• Zero velocity spreaders• Dual spinners• Spinner• Modified spinners• Homemade chutes

Challenges• Mechanical failure• Clogging &

freezing• Corrosion• Frequent

calibration

5b. FAST Systems Reduced mobile operations Reduced crash frequency & delay Less material required

• Challenges– Activation frequency– System maintenance & training

• Appropriate only at a highly localized

level, as a supplement to mobile operations• Installation should be site specific

Ye, Z., Wu, J., El Ferradi, N., Shi, X. Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering, 2013, 40: 11–18.

5c. C

alib

rati

on • Is a must

• Train how to calibrate & keep records• When to calibrate:

– when first acquired– points throughout a season– whenever a new material is used– after repairs– if there appears to be discrepancy in

material usage

6. Monitoring & Keeping Records

• Determine your baseline• Use collected data to find trends• Consider tracking:

– Total length of road– Winter severity rating– Number of events– Material used– Calibration dates– Treatment effectiveness

7. WM Facility Management

7a. Material Storage• All products should be stored in a manner

to minimize any loss of product

www.syracuse.com

7b. Management of Snow Disposal Sites

• If moving snow to a melting location:– Minimize impacts (dust, litter, etc.)– Manage meltwater to comply with local water

quality regulations– Routinely monitoring of site capacity, soil &

water

The most effective way to dispose of snow is to let it melt where it accumulates.

8. Training for Salt Management & WM Operations

• Assess the needs of your staff• Consider who is being trained & how to

best convey that info• Design training based on learning goals• Training methods:

– Classroom, field, post-storm debriefing, simulator, etc.

8a. Training Continued…• Have experienced staff conduct the training• Evaluate your training program• Assess how much information was learned• Common training methods:

– Annual operator training, Snow University, Snow & Ice Rodeo, Computer Based Training (CBT)

www.capitalbay.com www.triblocal.com

9. Concluding Remarks

WHAT: deliver the right type & amount of materials in the right location at the right time

WHY:

effectiveness & efficiency of winter operations

material usage, $$$, environmental footprint

HOW to balance LOS vs. sustainability: best practice in technology & management domains

Shi, X., et al. Cold Regions Science and Technology, 2013, 86: 104.

Acknowledgements

• AASHTO Standing Committee on Highways

• Caleb Dobbins• William Hoffman• Steve Lund• Debra Nelson• Wilfrid Nixon• Max Perchanok

• Gabriel Guevara• Leland Smithson• Frank Lisle• Amir Hanna• Annette Dunn• Monty Mills• Michael Williams• Brian Burn

Contact Info

Xianming Shi, Ph.D., P.E., Research Professor

Manager, Winter Maintenance & Effects Program

Western Transportation Institute, PO Box 174250, Bozeman, MT 59717-4250

Xianming_s@coe.montana.edu

Web: www.coe.montana.edu/me/faculty/Shi/

http://ine.uaf.edu/cesticc/

406-994-6486 (Phone)

406-994-1697 (Fax)

Questions?

www.cylelicio.us

Improved Weather Forecasts

Weather Forecasts and Information Services

• Research has shown that winter maintenance costs decrease as the use of weather information increases (Ye et al., 2009).

• Accurate and timely forecasts have been shown to save 11–25% (labor) and 4-10% (material), but using a bad forecast can cost you (Shi et al., 2007)

• Improved spatial resolution will provide greater expected benefits to service levels (Fu et al., 2009).

Electronic Spreader Controls

• Pre-set or on-demand application rates• Use electronic ground speed controls to

provide consistent application rates.• Can be linked with sensors (e.g. friction,

AVL, GPS)• Modern units can record information about

– Application rate, gate position, run time, blast information, avg. spread width/symmetry.

Rearward Casting Spreaders(Ground-Speed and Zero-Velocity Spreaders)

• Material is discharged rearward at the same speed as the spreading vehicle is traveling forward.

• Keeps more material on the road where it was placed.

• Application speeds should not exceed 35 mph, higher speeds reduce application accuracy.

Pre-Wetting Solid Material• Adding liquid to products or

abrasives at stockpile or at the

spreader• Benefits

– Eases product management and distribution– Accelerates breakup of snow/ice and enhances

melting– Minimizes bounce and scatter, improves performance– Increases longevity on road = less frequent

applications

Case Study: Slurry Technology• High volume liquid anti-icer to dry salt

(30%:70%) ~ 60-90 gal/ton• 200 lb/l-m = ~ 9 gal• Oatmeal consistency, salt grains fully

saturated• Slurry auger and at spinner

(Maine DOT 2005)

Slurry Technology Contd.

• Lesson Learned– ¾ in salt allowed but smaller grains work better.– Start with a heavier application, followed by smaller– Some equipment has worked better than others

• Pumps, on board crushers, overall equipment design/functionality

• Material and cost savings (Maine DOT 2005)• Anecdotal comments:

– Goes into action quicker, acts immediately, lasts longer on road, out-perform traditional pre-wetting methods, minimizes bounce and scatter.

Performance Measures• Environmental Performance Measures

– Maintain or improve ecosystem, habitat, biodiversity, water quality, wetlands, air quality.

– Example: water quality monitoring– Data collection: hydrologic, biologic,

atmospheric, etc.• Resources

– Environmental Guidebook (FHWA), Environmental Review Toolkit (FHWA), Center for Environmental Excellence (AASHTO), Eco-Logical, FHWA INVEST Sustainable Highways Self Evaluation Tool

Performance Measures

• Winter Operations Performance Measures– Mobility, reliability, accessibility, safety– Example: time to bare lane– Measured as: return to speed, friction, visual

inspection, etc.

www.pbase.com

A Look to the Future• Technological & institutional barriers remain• Micro-scale road wx forecasting and sensing• ‘dynamic layer’ on the road surface: timing & freq.• More integrated & automated onboard sensors +

VII• Performance measures + systematic approach to

decision making in materials selection• Ultimate integration into the WM toolbox:

continued investment & efforts in R&D + user-needs driven product strategies