A water line is buried underground in dry soil that has an assumed initial temperature of 4.5 degree Celsius. The pipe may have no flow through it for long period of time, yet it will not be drained in order that no freezing occurs, the pipe must be kept at a temperature not lower than 0 degree Celsius. The pipe is to be designed for a 30 hour period at the beginning of which the soil surface temperature suddenly drops to – 17 degree Celsius. Workout the minimum earth covering needed above the water pipe so as to prevent the possibility of freezing during 36 hour cold spell. The soil in which the pipe is buried has the following properties
Density = 640 kg/m³
Specific heat = 1843J/kg degree
Thermal conductivity = 0.345 W/m degree