Ferraro Choi Publications: Elevated Station Design: Conclusion

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Elevated Station Design for the South Pole Redevelopment Project
at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station

9. Conclusion

Four Elevated research stations have been constructed in Antarctica since 1969 to both improve the quality of life for station personnel, and to overcome the disruption and expenses to be rebuilt when they become buried and must be abandoned.

Australia’s “Old Casey” station functioned well, but was replaced in 1989 with ground based structures, ostensibly to improve personnel productivity.

Germany’s Filchner station was the first example of a jackable platform concept and was occupied for seventeen summer seasons until it was marooned on a calved section of the Filchner-Ronne ice Shelf, rescued, and placed into storage.

England’s Halley V year-round station was designed on the principals of Filchner’s jackable platform. It was constructed on the Brunt Ice Shelf in 1992 and continues in operation today. Unanticipated problems of eccentric snow drifting loads and maintaining the structural integrity of the columns supporting the platforms may lead to surface buildings on towable sled bases for Halley V’s eventual replacement.

The United States' Amundsen-Scott station at the geographic South Pole is scheduled to be fully operational in 2005. It will have an indefinite life span because of its ability to remain above the surface. The Amundsen-Scott station represents the state of the art in elevated, jackable station design for its size and environment.

Table 1 lists the comparative features of the elevated stations discussed in this report.

Figure 8: Amundsen-Scott Station (View From The Geographic South Pole)

Table 1: Comparison Fact Sheet of Elevated Stations in Antarctica

Item	“OLD CASEY” (Australia)	FILCHNER (Germany)	HALLEY V (England)	AMUNDSEN- SCOTT (U.S.)
Operational Life	1969-1989	1982-1999	1992-?	2005 - ?
Floor Area (Gross/SM)	±1,210	±140	1,255	6,040
Population – Winter	20	0	30	50
Population – Summer	25	12	36	110-150
Environmental:
Annual Snow Deposition	N/A	50mm	1.5m	200mm
Wind (Moderate/Severe)	Severe	Severe	Severe	Moderate
Annual Ice Movement	N/A	1000m	850m	9m
Coast/Ice Shelf/Plateau	Coast	Ice Shelf	Ice Shelf	Plateau
Technical:
Height Above Surface	3m	3m	4.5m	3m
Configuration shape	Linear	Linear	Linear	Linear/C-Shapes
Aerodynamic	Yes	No	No	Yes
Orientation to Wind	90°	N/A	Parallel	90°
Drifting Mitigation	Good	*	Poor	Good
Integral/Platform	Integral	Platform	Platform	Integral
C/FA Ration**	N/A	1/14	1/42	1/167
Jacking Capability	N/A	Winch & Cable	Hydraulic Jack	Hydraulic Jack
Jacking Design Height	N/A	1.5m	4m
Jacking Frequency	N/A	2-3 years	Annual	15+years
Wind Tunnel	Yes	*	Yes/CRREL	Yes/RWDI
CFD	*	*	*	Yes
FAE	*	*	*	Yes
* Information not available ** Column to Floor Area Ration. Floor area given in square meters.

Proceed to next section: 9. References

Table of Contents
1. Abstract
2. Background
3. Old Casey Station
4. Filchner Station
5. Halley V
6. A New Vision for Amundsen-Scott Station
7. Amundsen-Scott Station Design Features
8. Conclusion
9. References

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Latest.Revision.12.27.2010

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Elevated Station Design for the South Pole Redevelopment Project at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station

Elevated Station Design for the South Pole Redevelopment Project
at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station