Mongolia to Cool City with Artificial Glacier
A giant glacier is planned for the Mongolian capital of Ulan Bator, providing cool air and clean water for the city during summer, reported Constructiondigital.
For centuries, engineers have dreamed of towing icebergs around the world, providing fresh drinking water and portable air-conditioning to the far reaches of the globe. The Mongolian capital of Ulan Bator is planning the next best thing - they're going to build one in their own backyard.
Scientists hope that construction of the giant urban glacier will provide cool air and potable water for the city's inhabitants and irrigation. ECOS & EMI, a Mongolian engineering firm, will oversee the US$ 700 thousand project, which consists of the construction of artificial naleds - thick slabs of ice that form when water pressure allows water to seep through cracks during the day, which refreezes come nightfall. In northern cities like Ulan Bator, these naleds can grow more than 5 meters thick.
According to a piece over at The Atlantic Cities, these naleds have been utilized for other engineering purposes for hundreds of years, most notably by military groups looking to build ice roads and bridges in colder climates.
Engineers will regularly bore holes into ice forming on the Tuul River over the coming winter, adding sheets of ice which can then be utilized during warmer summer months. The process can be duplicated in other northern cities with at least a few months of temperatures in the -5C to -20C degree range.
For centuries, engineers have dreamed of towing icebergs around the world, providing fresh drinking water and portable air-conditioning to the far reaches of the globe. The Mongolian capital of Ulan Bator is planning the next best thing - they're going to build one in their own backyard.
Scientists hope that construction of the giant urban glacier will provide cool air and potable water for the city's inhabitants and irrigation. ECOS & EMI, a Mongolian engineering firm, will oversee the US$ 700 thousand project, which consists of the construction of artificial naleds - thick slabs of ice that form when water pressure allows water to seep through cracks during the day, which refreezes come nightfall. In northern cities like Ulan Bator, these naleds can grow more than 5 meters thick.
According to a piece over at The Atlantic Cities, these naleds have been utilized for other engineering purposes for hundreds of years, most notably by military groups looking to build ice roads and bridges in colder climates.
Engineers will regularly bore holes into ice forming on the Tuul River over the coming winter, adding sheets of ice which can then be utilized during warmer summer months. The process can be duplicated in other northern cities with at least a few months of temperatures in the -5C to -20C degree range.
