Optimization of winter road maintenance energy costs in Sweden : a critique of site specific frost warning techniques

• Frost formation on roads may cause slippery conditions and thereby increase the risk of accident occurrence. Roads are often treated with preventive operations using de-icing agents (e.g. road salt), which are ideally planned and performed prior to frost formation. The decisions on when and where to treat different road stretches with salt are based on meteorological measurements and forecasts. This paper investigates how uncertainties in meteorological measurements for frost prediction at road weather stations affect the efficiency of winter road maintenance. Different types of uncertainties and errors are discussed, together with potential solutions. The effects on winter road maintenance efficiency are discussed in terms of energy and cost. It was found that improvements in frost warning accuracy and reliability can lead to considerable savings and more efficient winter road maintenance.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap -- Naturgeografi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Earth and Related Environmental Sciences -- Physical Geography (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap -- Meteorologi och atmosfärforskning (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Earth and Related Environmental Sciences -- Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap -- Klimatforskning (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Earth and Related Environmental Sciences -- Climate Research (hsv//eng)

Keyword

hoar frost

winter road maintenance

energy costs

sensors

hoar frost;winter road maintenance;energy costs;sensors

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)