A computational model for underground heating control of outdoor sports fields in winter conditions

We introduce a computational model for energy efficient underground heating control of outdoor sports fields in winter conditions. The proposed model is a nonlinear lumped-parameter representation of heat transfer within the soil layers, coupled to heat and mass transfer above the ground. The model addresses the sports field underground structure (with transient heating control), and time-dependent ambient conditions (air temperature, wind, precipitation, clouds and sky radiation). As an application, we demonstrate that, upon parameter identification, the model can predict the snow depth profile trend seen in South-Western Finland in 2021. Moreover, we illustrate the use of the proposed model for comparing the effects of different heating set point control power settings on removing the ground snow cover.