Analysis of Potential Sand Dune Impacts on

Railway Tracks and Methods of Mitigation

Duncan A. Phillips, Ph.D., P.Eng.

Senior Consultant / Principal
Duncan.Phillips@rwdi.com

Canada | USA | UK | UAE | India | China

Reputation Resources Results www.r wdiair.com
Acknowledgements

• The information presented here is based

on the work of many bright and committed
people.

• They teach me things every day.

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Outline

• Statement of Problem

• Available Information for GCC

– Sand properties
– Meteorology

• Options Available

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Problem Statement

Sand and railways don’t mix…

Specific challenges / problems include:

• Track blockages
• Ballast ingress / contamination
• Fouling of electrical systems
• Jamming of switch / gear boxes
• etc.

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Problem Statement

The consequences of sand on tracks

include:
• Increased track maintenance – cleaning
• Changes in track bed damping
• Reduced traffic speeds
• Schedule delays
• Safety concerns

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Problem Statement

These challenges exist anywhere that deserts and

infrastructure meet. Examples from China:

Images reproduced from: Zhang, K.C., J.J. Qu, K.T Liao, Q.H. Niu, and Q.J Han (2010), Damage by wind-blown
sand and its control along Qinghai-Tibet Railway in China, Aeolian Research 1 (2010) 143–146.

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Options to Reduce Impact of Sand on Operations

1) Adjust route to avoid moving sand

– Be aware of risks before planning route

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Options to Reduce Impact of Sand on Operations

2) Reduce quantity of sand landing on tracks

– Plan the upwind slopes properly
• Profiles
• Materials

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Options to Reduce Impact of Sand on Operations

3) Make is easier for sand to leave tracks

– Make track aerodynamically smooth
• This will require some design work

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Options to Reduce Impact of Sand on Operations

4) Reduce the severity of the presence of

sand
– Choose sand resistant track beds
• Slab track in the worst regions?
• Elevated?
• Covered ballast?

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Remove sand manually

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Other Locations Deal with Particle Problems – Elevating Structures

Halley V South Pole Research Station

Can be
jacked up

Photo by BAS

View Direction

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Some Strategies Need Maintenance

Time instance 1 Time instance 2

Existing

Proposed

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The physics of wind blown sand

Wind Speed Threshold

• minimum wind speed needed to
start sand grains saltating (m•s-1).

Saltation
• movement of sand in successive
hops across a surface (hop lengths
& trajectories dependent on various
surface, sand, and wind
characteristics)

Sand Flux
• Bulk sand transport rate / amount of
sand in motion (kg•m-1•yr-1)
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The physics of wind blown sand

How are these determined?

• Field measurements
– site-specific biases and complications,
difficult to reproduce results, expensive

• Portable / open-floor wind tunnels © G. Wiggs

– Limited access to equipment, site-

specific biases / complications,
expensive

• Laboratory wind tunnels

– Highly controlled environment,
reproducible, limited sample sizes
cause biases
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Characteristics of aeolian sands
Aeolian (wind-blown) sand is similar the world over. Different colours are typically a
result of environmental conditions (e.g., reddish grains suggest iron staining) that
do not affect wind speed threshold or flux rates. Examples from UAE shown below.
Taweelah Lahbab RAK South
D = 0.173 mm D = 0.176 mm D = 0.179 mm

0 5
Approx. scale:
mm

Khatim Hafeet
D = 0.153 mm D = 0.161 mm

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Meteorology Differs Across the Region

Meteorological conditions vary widely over large geographic

areas yet it is rare to find robust meteorological data at high
spatial resolution and of a sufficiently long period of record,
especially in remote, desert environments.
Wind Speed (m/s)

RKT

SHJ

DBX

AUH
AAN

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Meteorology

Cannot rely on unrepresentative airport observations.

Using computer simulations it is possible to generate gridded meteorological

fields over large areas at relatively high spatial and temporal resolutions.

This can be used to

generate site-specific
climate models.

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Meteorology

200–400 VU ~ 17–33 m3•m-1•yr-1

This method has been used
to generate crude maps of
sand drift potential over
large desert regions but not
specifically for local areas
or infrastructure projects.

For example, Fryberger et

al. (2006) report average
drift values of 18 m3•m-1•yr-1
in northeastern Saudi
Arabia, with a maximum of
29 m3•m-1•yr-1 in high wind
areas.

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Computer Meteorology Models can Provide Annual Information

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Meteorology & Sand Drift Risk

Example: Annual hours above threshold (example year).

Dubai

Abu Dhabi
Al Ain

Liwa

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Meteorology & Sand Drift Risk

The data permits us to analyse the issues in new ways and greater
detail…
10 m

Example: Annual flux potential in kg•m-1•yr-1 (example year).

5m

0m

In Egypt, the values exceed 40 m height: this is sand dune.

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Sand Drift Risk

Typical Sand Transport Statistics

Location SEG-A
Frequency (hrs•yr-1)
FREQUENCY (HOURS/YR) 1152
• Total hours per year above threshold.
Magnitude Sand Flux (kg•m-1•yr-1) MAGNITUDE OF SAND FLUX
9.3
(1000KG/M/YR)
• Total amount of sand (kg) that moving per
unit width (m) in a given year. NET SAND DRIFT (1000KG/M/YR) 3.2
Net Sand Drift (kg•m-1•yr-1) NET DRIFT RATIO 34.4%
• Amount of sand (kg) contributing to the net DRIFT VECTOR 289
dune migration / vector.
# SIGNIFICANT BLOWING SAND
Net Drift Ratio EVENTS PER YEAR
21
• Percent of total sand transport that
contributes to the net drift vector.
Drift Vector
• Compass direction of drift (dune migration).
No. Significant Blowing Sand Events per Year
• Number of times a year when wind is above
threshold for three or more consecutive
hours
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Mitigation Options

• Many options have been tried

– Environmental issues with surface coating with oil
– Porous fencing is expensive to maintain / replace
– Ballast cleaning is expensive and affects schedules

Dong, Z., G. Chen, X. He, Z. Han,and X. Wang Zhang, K.C., J.J. Qu, K.T Liao, Q.H. Niu, and Q.J Han
(2004), Controlling blown sand along the (2010), Damage by wind-blown sand and its control
highway crossing the Taklimakan Desert, along Qinghai-Tibet Railway in China, Aeolian
Journal of Arid Environments, 57, (2004), 329–344. Research 1 (2010) 143–146.
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Mitigation Strategies

• Mitigation must work with Mother Nature

and the natural equilibrium between wind
and sand.
• Strive for multiple layers of protection
– Eliminate sand sources
– Design for smaller likelihood of deposition
– Encourage re-entrainment of sand at track
– Reduced impact if sand does deposit

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An optimal cross-section should encourage

Deposition of sand Wind-porous track profiles

upwind / away from the can help reduce build up of
rail embankment sand

… reduce the … accelerate the

“carrying capacity” wind flow …
of the wind …
Higher wind speeds over the
track embankment and rails:
Create an accelerate wind
aerodynamically
smooth surface

Ballast stone is a problem; not a solution….

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 Mitigation

Theoretical Mitigation Option

1 2 3 4

WIND
c

road

Not to Scale - for illustrative purposes ONLY

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Closing / Synopsis

• Drifting and blowing sand is a significant challenge

to the GCC rail network.

• The success rate of mitigation options is mixed;

none are fool proof.

• Mitigation must work with Mother Nature and the

natural equilibrium between wind and sand.

• New tools exist that allow us to look at these

issues in more holistic ways.

• There are some track topologies that need testing.

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Duncan.Phillips@rwdi.com

THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND

ATTENTION

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