X-Message-Number: 2055
Date: Sat, 3 Apr 93 18:49:02 CST
From: Brian Wowk <>
Subject: CRYONICS Flooding Risk

Brian Wowk:
 
>>        The Cold Room should be built in a 7m x 7m x 5m deep pit below 
>> ground level.  The top of the access cubes would be covered with 
>> removable fire-resistant flooring planels flush with the surrounding 
>> floor surface.  You could even store things on this overlying area if 
>> you don't mind moving them around from time to time.
 
John Hagerman:
 
> Sounds good.  I suggest that steps be taken to absolutely minimize the
> possibility of flooding, which could pose the greatest threat to the
> long term safety of below-ground storage.  There are both construction
> concerns (how many of us have heard stories of machine room floods?)
> and environmental concerns (100 year floods, etc).
 
        I would suggest that the concrete floor around the pit be built 
with a bit of a ramp leading up the edge.  This would be to protect 
against spills or watermain breaks within the facility.
 
        Rare regional flooding (in Arizona?) could be handled by 
building a sandbag dike around the pit assuming adequate warning.  Also 
Brett Bellmore has pointed out to me that a Cold Room may be self-
sealing against flood water (by freezing it as it passes the 0'C point 
in the gradient between the foam blocks).  If this is true, the worst 
consequence of flooding would be an insulation repair job afterward.
 
        I think the security advantages of building underground outweigh 
the flood risks.
 
        Another related concern expressed at the recent Chicago meeting 
was cracking of the concrete foundation over a hundred year timespan.  I 
view this as a capital budgeting issue.  The capital cost of the room 
will be amortized over its expected lifetime.  This lifetime may 
determined by the life expectancy of the concrete, the foam insulation, 
or the facility they are in.  In any case, for a variety of reasons 
(economy in particular), it is likely that patients stored in this room 
will be transferred to a bigger and better room in much less than a 
century.
 
                                                    --- Brian Wowk

Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=2055