Holistic Thermal Assessment and Control Of The Artificial Ground Freezing For The New Underground Station "Museum Island " in Berlin-Video

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Video Summary

The presentation describes ground freezing for Berlin’s new Museumsinsel station, built beneath the Spree Canal and near historic buildings as part of the U5 line extension. A 105-meter-long frozen body protected tunnel construction between two shafts. Three chillers supplied approximately 1.3 MW of cooling, with freeze pipes operated intermittently and their brine flow reversible to target areas of greatest heat impact.<br /><br />Construction requirements for frozen-body thickness and temperature varied by excavation phase. During cooling, two-dimensional thermal simulations were compared with measurements and closely matched observed temperatures. During tunneling, a Python-based method used sensor readings to assess frozen-body thickness and temperature daily, helping teams adjust operations. Approximately 2,000 sensors supported monitoring, alongside a 3D visualization tool.<br /><br />The project demonstrates that complex freezing works depend on careful planning, expert collaboration, reliable measurement and ongoing evaluation. Redundancy is essential, requirements may need adjustment, and analytical cross-sections should be continually reviewed.

Keywords

ground freezing

Berlin Museumsinsel station

tunneling construction

thermal simulation

sensor monitoring