Study on air-pipe cooling effect and cooling strategy of mass reinforced concrete wall

The artificial cooling of mass concrete during reconstruction is essential for preventing structural cracking due to hydration heat. For tanks and other mass post-tensioned prestressed concrete structures, pre-cooled air can be injected into prestressed rebar pipes to facilitate concrete cooling. This air-pipe cooling method eliminates the need for special cooling pipes embedded within the concrete. Thermos-fluid-solid coupling finite element (FE) models were used to assess the temperature distribution and cracking risk in mass concrete walls. The heat transfer coefficient at the concrete-pipe-air interface and its influence factors were researched in this paper. Multiple cooling strategies have been proposed, and comparative analyses have been conducted to identify the most effective cooling approach.