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<p>Artificial ground freezing (AGF) is widely applied to ensure the safe sinking of vertical mine shafts through flooded and unstable soils. In multilayer soil systems, the thermophysical and mechanical properties of individual layers differ substantially, resulting in variations in the required frozen-wall (FW) thickness and the time needed to achieve it. This leads to an imbalance in the freezing process, where some layers become over-frozen while others remain under-frozen, causing excessive energy consumption and potential safety risks. Improving the energy efficiency of AGF under such conditions requires a better understanding of freezing unevenness in practical engineering cases. This study analyses three AGF projects for potash mine shafts with freezing depths ranging from 185 to 530&#xa0;m and differing hydrogeological conditions. The research combines detailed design documentation, field monitoring data, and validated heat transfer modelling to examine vertical unevenness in soil freezing across multilayer systems. Based on this analysis, new quantitative criteria are proposed for assessing freezing unevenness. Using these criteria, several energy-efficiency enhancement measures are developed, including interval-based excavation permissions, adjustment of excavation technological parameters, step freezing, and zonal thermal insulation. A comparative evaluation of the freezing system at each site demonstrates that the proposed measures can significantly reduce energy consumption, with potential savings varying across sites depending on geological conditions. The results provide a practical framework for diagnosing and mitigating freezing unevenness in multilayer soils, supporting both safer construction and more energy-efficient AGF operations in deep mine shaft sinking.</p>

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Energy-efficient artificial freezing of multilayer soil systems: case studies of three different mine shafts under construction

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2025年12月11日

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  • Mikhail Semin,
  • Alyona Dunkina,
  • Sergey Bublik

摘要

Artificial ground freezing (AGF) is widely applied to ensure the safe sinking of vertical mine shafts through flooded and unstable soils. In multilayer soil systems, the thermophysical and mechanical properties of individual layers differ substantially, resulting in variations in the required frozen-wall (FW) thickness and the time needed to achieve it. This leads to an imbalance in the freezing process, where some layers become over-frozen while others remain under-frozen, causing excessive energy consumption and potential safety risks. Improving the energy efficiency of AGF under such conditions requires a better understanding of freezing unevenness in practical engineering cases. This study analyses three AGF projects for potash mine shafts with freezing depths ranging from 185 to 530 m and differing hydrogeological conditions. The research combines detailed design documentation, field monitoring data, and validated heat transfer modelling to examine vertical unevenness in soil freezing across multilayer systems. Based on this analysis, new quantitative criteria are proposed for assessing freezing unevenness. Using these criteria, several energy-efficiency enhancement measures are developed, including interval-based excavation permissions, adjustment of excavation technological parameters, step freezing, and zonal thermal insulation. A comparative evaluation of the freezing system at each site demonstrates that the proposed measures can significantly reduce energy consumption, with potential savings varying across sites depending on geological conditions. The results provide a practical framework for diagnosing and mitigating freezing unevenness in multilayer soils, supporting both safer construction and more energy-efficient AGF operations in deep mine shaft sinking.