Abstract

In 2008, a team of undergraduate students from Binghamton University-State University of New York entered the 2008–2009 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Design Competition for Universities and were awarded first place in the competition for their proposal, Geothermal Snowmelt System for Airport Pavements. The design was so well-received that the FAA, and later the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), funded nearly $2 million to construct and study a prototype of the system at the Greater Binghamton Airport (New York). The prototype consists of a geothermal pavement radiant heating system coupled with a terminal cooling system to study the viability of keeping runways and other airport pavements free of ice and snow and to increase efficiencies of terminal building cooling. The research consisted of taking and analyzing measurements 24 hours per day in 15-minute intervals using 40 sensors built throughout the system to measure temperatures of heated pavement surfaces, geothermal well field temperatures, mechanical equipment operations, unheated pavement surfaces (for reference), shallow- and deep-ground temperatures, feeder- and return-line temperatures, in/out flow rates, modes of operation, electricity usage, and more to determine snow and ice melting ability, cooling ability, energy costs, maintenance costs, and cost/benefit. Visual observations and a thorough data analysis show the system operated successfully during even the harshest of conditions. As the system was studied, modifications were made for maximum efficiencies and documented to assist in system design for future installations at other airports, including increased system reliability and actual cost/benefit.