Wind shielding & design for weather protection of outdoor working environment

Infrastructure, onshore and offshore facilities in a changing arctic is challenged by increasingly severe climatic conditions characterized by strong winds, low temperature, icing, snow precipitation, etc. In such a climate, a strong blizzard is capable of more or less paralyzing a region by blocking most of the traffic and outdoor activity on land, at sea and in the air. It is necessary to prepare outdoor operations and outdoor activity to such conditions. Up to now there are few established or prequalified design solutions for wind and weather protection in arctic environment.

Most critical for the operability and maintainability of infrastructure, onshore/offshore facilities, ships and offshore fish farms in the changing arctic climate is the cold environment’s impact on outdoor activity, i.e., health and well-being, outdoor operations, emergency response and evacuation, transportation, etc. Special considerations are often necessary during the design and fabrication of onshore facilities, ships and floating structures in cold waters. Wind is often the critical factor that increases effect of cold, rain and snow, and porous weather panels are being used for wind & weather protection of exposed work areas & outdoor operations. 

Weather panel performance & design for protection of arctic outdoor working environment involve:

• Impact from a changing arctic climate on metocean conditions (wind, cold, precipitation, icing, snow etc.)
• Weather protection designs (semi-open protections, louvers for enclosure)
• Wind shielding performance of porous panels and customized weather panel design
• Favourable winterized design (icing, snow clogging etc.)

It is expected that the PhD-candidate participates in field experiments or/and collection of necessary field data. Including engineering the PhD-candidate is encouraged to work transdisciplinary and collaborate with PhD-candidates/projects within disciplines as meteorology, safety, health & human factors etc. This project is aimed for working in close collaboration with relevant industry.