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Comparison tests of deicing liquids on snow plow routes in northern Maine.

File Language:
English


Details

  • Creators:
    Thompson, Bill 
  • Corporate Creators:
    Maine. Dept. of Transportation. Transportation Research Division
  • Subject/TRT Terms:
  • Publication/ Report Number:
    04-­06
  • Resource Type:
    Tech Report
  • Geographical Coverage:
    Maine
  • Corporate Publisher:
    Maine. Dept. of Transportation
  • Abstract:
    The Maine Department of Transportation, like other state transportation agencies in the northern U.S., utilizes  solid salt to maintain bare pavement conditions on its roads and bridges during winter. Like many other states,  Maine is progressively adopting recommended Federal Highway Administration procedures aimed at improving 

    winter road maintenance. One procedure in particular, involves mixing a liquid de­icing chemical with solid 

    granular rock salt, and has proven to be effective at enhancing snow and ice melting. This procedure, called pre­ 

    wetting, creates a damp mixture of de­icing chemicals, that not only tends to reduce the scattering of salt,  making it more effective on the pavement, but it also aides in the formation of a brine. The faster that brine 

    forms on the road, the faster that the melting action occurs. Several liquids can be used for pre­wetting rock salt.  The most popular liquids are salt brine, liquid calcium, magnesium chloride, and calcium magnesium acetate.  Chemical effectiveness, expected temperatures, availability, and cost are considerations in the choice of de­ 

    icing chemicals. There is a significant cost difference between theses chemicals. Salt brine is the least expensive 

    due to low cost of rock salt and ease of producing the brine on­site. Liquid calcium is among the most 

    expensive, costing at least ten times more that salt brine.

  • Format:
    PDF
  • Collection(s):
  • Main Document Checksum:
    urn:sha256:040ecfa146f5e79e8332e09b31a70fab79c76dd046909d5ab697265b1d1a2dfd
  • Download URL:
  • File Type:
    Filetype[PDF - 271.91 KB ]
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