Laboratory Studies of Suspended Frazil Ice Particles

• Author / Creator

  McFarlane, Vincent J

• The physical and kinematic properties of frazil ice particles have proven difficult to measure with any accuracy in the past. As a result, little is known about the size distribution, thickness, aspect ratio, and rise velocity of these particles, making it impossible to develop accurate mathematical models of the formation, development, and transport of frazil ice. To address this lack of data, a digital image acquisition system was developed capable of capturing high-resolution, cross-polarised photographs of suspended frazil ice particles in a laboratory environment. An algorithm was written to process these images and calculate the diameter of individual particles. A lognormal distribution was found to offer a good fit to the particle diameters. This image acquisition and processing system was also applied to rising frazil ice particles and the effects of particle thickness, diameter, aspect ratio, and orientation on the rise velocity of frazil ice in quiescent water was studied.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Frazil ice
  • River ice processes
  • Size distribution
  • Aspect ratio
  • Rise velocity

• Graduation date

  Spring 2014

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Science

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3X921S6Q

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.