Soil Freezing for Cross Passage
Tunnel Construction
Larry Applegate President
Aaron McCain VP / Chief Design Engineer
Michael McMillan Operations Manager
www.soilfreeze.com
SHORING * GROUNDWATER CONTROL * ENVIRONMENTAL
What is Ground Freezing
● The in situ water is artificially
frozen by our freeze system.
● The ice acts like cement in
concrete binding the soil particles
creating a frozen soil mass.
● The frozen soil mass provides both
a structurally stable and water
proof barrier.
Groundwater/Ice
Soil Particles
How Ground Freezing Works
Frozen Soil Wall Formation
Advantages of Soil Freezing
Freezing for the Tunneling Industry
• Shafts and Adits
• Launch and Receiving Portals
• Emergency Rescue
• Tunnel Alignment Stabilization
• Cross-Passages
Frozen Soil Shafts
Launch and Receiving Portals
Portal Stabilization
Brightwater Emergency Rescue
BT3 Junction Freezing
Freezing Around TBM to Remove Cutter
GW @ 120’
TBM @ 315’
Cutterhead Dismantling
Frozen Soil
Success!!!
Cross Passage Tunnel Construction
Why use freezing for Cross Passages?
• Certainty of coverage
• Schedule, can be done after the tunnels have been constructed
• Flexibility of installation
• Minimize or eliminate surface street impact
• Difficult soil conditions
• Eliminates dewatering
• Cost
Different Approaches for Cross
Passage Freezing
1) Freezing From inside with Equipment Outside
Port of Miami Tunnel -- Miami, FL
- Freeze Design - Bouygues Civil Works
- Freeze Pipe Install and Grouting – Nicholson
- Freeze System - Moretrench
2) Freezing from Completely inside the Tunnel
Central Subway Tunnel -- San Francisco, CA
- Design and System – SoilFreeze, Inc.
- Freeze Pipe Install – Crux Subsurface
3) Freezing from Surface
Northgate Link Extension – Seattle, WA
- Design and System – SoilFreeze, Inc.
- Freeze Pipe Install – Cascade Drilling, JCMJV
Port of Miami Tunnel
2014
Bouygues was the Prime Contractor
Key Largo Formation
• A porous coralline limestone.
• At CP Location the formation was
unusually soft and porous
Grouting alone was not sufficient,
combination of grouting and freezing
was used
2015 Central Subway Tunnel
San Francisco
Barnard/Impregilo/Healy JV
● 1.7 mile twin 18-foot inside diameter tunnels
● Spaced 35 feet apart (Centerline to Centerline)
● Five cross passages 15 foot in diameter
● 80 to 100 feet below ground surface
Very difficult Ground Conditions:
● Sand with Silt (recent alluvium)
● Very Dense Silty Sand (old bay deposits)
● Very Stiff Clayey Silt (old bay deposits)
Cross Passage #5 - Frozen
● The most difficult ground conditions
● Deep sump was part of construction
● First frozen soil cross passage
in U.S. completed from inside tunnel
Freeze Pipe Layout – Profile
Freeze Pipe Layout – Plan View
Freeze Pipe Layout – In Tunnel
North Bound South Bound
Major Construction Restrictions
• Mixed soil conditions – Sand, Silt
and Clay
• Drilling through packers – 90 ft of
head pressure
• Installing 30ft long pipes inside an
18’ diameter tunnel
Freeze Down
Surface Freeze
Excavation
Initial Liner
Sump Excavation
Sump Excavation – nearly done
Completed Sump
- Initial CP liner in place
- Shut Down of part of
Freeze System
- Final Waterproofing
Repair with additional freezing
Success – Experience Gained
● Successfully completed using frozen soil as the only
excavation support and ground water cutoff
● A waterproof, structural liner should be in place
before partial shutdown of freeze system.
● Placement of freeze pipes is critical – Concentrate
freeze where you need it.
● Place and maintain the correct kind and amount of
surface freeze and insulation on the tunnel liner
● Discuss and monitor construction and heat
producing activities.
● Educate all personnel including subcontractors
Northgate Link Extension – Seattle
JayDee/Coluccio/Michels JV
● 4.3 mile twin 19-foot inside diameter tunnels
● Spaced ~40 feet apart (Centerline to Centerline)
● 23 cross passages 17-foot in diameter
● 10 under contract to be frozen
● 100 to 150 feet below ground surface
Ground Conditions (Glacial Soils):
● Cohesionless Sand and Gravel (CSG)
● Cohesive Clay and Silt (CCS)
● Cohesionless Silt and Fine Sand (CSF)
Soil Conditions
CP - 30
CP - 31
RGD (62’)
CP - 32
RGD (13’)
CSG (120’)
CSG (62’) TLD (36’)
CSG (35’)
CCS (31’)
CCS
CCS (21’) CSG (8’)
CSF
CCS (9’)
CP32 Plan – Typical Plan View
CP32 Profile – Typical Approach
Tight Site Conditions - Overhead
Tight Site Conditions - Slopes
CP21 Plan – Limited Space
CP32 Haunch Area
Surface Installation – Drilling
Surface Installation – Setting Pipes
CP32 As-Built Conditions
CP21 As-Built Conditions
CP21 As-Built Conditions
Flow System Installation
Freeze Down
In-Tunnel Installation
In-Tunnel Refrigeration Plants
In-Tunnel Refrigeration Plants
In-Tunnel Freeze Down
Protection and Insulation
Initial Breakout of Segments
Excavation with a Roadheader
Capping Freeze Pipes
Waterproofing after Complete
Soil Freezing for Cross Passage
Tunnel Construction
- 2014 FIRST CROSS PASSAGE
- 2015 FIRST FROM INSIDE CP
- 2016 10 CROSS PASSAGES
- 2017-2018 PROPOSALS FOR 40
FROZEN SOIL CROSS PASSAGES
SEATTLE, WA SOILFREEZE.COM
SHORING * GROUNDWATER CONTROL * ENVIRONMENTAL
