Plain salt brine is the most commonly used liquid deicer, but agencies often use a variety of more complex brine blends to seek enhanced performance. Field experience is always the ultimate arbiter of effectiveness of any deicer, but it can usually only judge on a coarse, qualitative basis. Laboratory studies permit a more precise understanding of deicer performance properties and can provide valuable supporting information about the effectiveness expected from deicing chemicals. This presentation will focus on what we are learning about the fundamental performance properties of enhanced brine blends under controlled conditions in the laboratory. Topics will include: how common brine enhancers affect ice melting capacity and rate? Low temperature performance? Pre-wet performance? What is the optimum brine concentration? What causes some brine blends to turn into “mayonnaise” and how to avoid it? Under what circumstances are enhanced brine blends likely to be most useful?

Proficiency Level

Advanced

Learning Objectives
  1. Determine when enhanced brines can provide the most value.
  2. Prepare stable brine blends without formation of solids.
  3. Select the brine enhancers needed for their particular application.

Contributor/Source

Scott Koefod, PhD

Claim CEUs

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