Plaxis bv was contracted by Moretrench in the USA to provide assistance in setting-up 2D finite element models for the analysis of time-dependent temperature development in frozen ground with flowing water. Thanks to PLAXIS Expert Services, valuable results have been obtained in terms of evaluating the time required to obtain a satisfactory frozen wall thickness depending on the water flow intensity generated by neighboring dewatering.

Temperature distribution (left) and water flow (right) around freezing pipes