Evolution and Parametric Analysis of Concrete Temperature Field Induced by Electric Heating Curing in Winter

Jianyong Han, Lin Liu (), Congbing Zuo, Haoshuang Wang, Fenglai Lin, Yue Zhao (), Tianliang Li and Dong Liu
Additional contact information
Jianyong Han: School of Civil Engineering, Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan 250101, China
Lin Liu: School of Civil Engineering, Shenyang Jianzhu University, Shenyang 110000, China
Congbing Zuo: China Railway 14th Bureau Group 2nd Engineering Co., Ltd., Tai’an 271000, China
Haoshuang Wang: China Railway 14th Bureau Group 2nd Engineering Co., Ltd., Tai’an 271000, China
Fenglai Lin: China Railway 14th Bureau Group 2nd Engineering Co., Ltd., Tai’an 271000, China
Yue Zhao: Science and Technology Service Platform, Shandong Academy of Sciences, Qilu University of Technology, Jinan 250353, China
Tianliang Li: State Key Laboratory of Hydraulic Engineering Simulation and Safety, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
Dong Liu: School of Civil Engineering, Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan 250101, China

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 10, 1-22

Abstract: Electric heat treatment is a widely used concrete curing method during the winter. Through direct and indirect heat exchange, the electric heating system tracks and controls the temperature of the heating medium based on a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) effect. In this study, to standardize the application of this treatment in the winter curing of concrete, the thermal energy conversion of an electric heating system and the heat-transfer characteristics of concrete have been studied. Based on the theoretical derivation, a calculation model of the relationship between the thermal energy of the electric heating system and the temperature of the concrete is established. The model is verified using the concrete heating and curing test results. The numerical analysis program COMSOL is used to analyze the effects of various factors on the concrete temperature field, including the electric heating power (e.g., the surface temperature of the electric heating system), concrete casting temperature, thermal conductivity, and heat release coefficient. The results show that decreasing the surface exothermic coefficient and increasing the heating temperature will significantly increase the peak temperature of the concrete. When the heat source temperature increases by 20 °C, the peak temperature could increase by approximately 13 °C. When the heating stops, the concrete volume increases temporarily, particularly in the region where the heating cable is buried. Consequently, an excessive heating power increase may cause cracks on the concrete surface. Compared with the factors of thermal conductivity and surface exothermic coefficient, the ambient temperature has the most significant effect on the concrete cooling rate when the heating stops. When the ambient temperature decreases by −20 °C, the cooling rate of concrete increases by 0.72 °C/h. The role of concrete insulation materials needs to be strengthened to reduce cooling rates during power outages and form removal. The findings from the study provide industry practitioners with a comprehensive guide regarding the specific applications of the electric heating system in early-age concrete curing.

Keywords: electric heating system; heat energy; heat transfer characteristics; COMSOL; temperature field; numerical investigation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/10/8337/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/10/8337/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:10:p:8337-:d:1151717

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().