Bulletin of the National Speleological Society - ISSN 0146-9517
Volume 24 Part 1:48-50 - January 1962

A publication of the National Speleological Society

Observations on Ice Caves as Heat Exchangers
Paul M. Sturgess

Abstract

An ice cavern near Le Fever Falls, New York has been studied since 1955 to determine the effect of convection currents in impounding cold air in caves and mines. The cavern at Le Fever is an abandoned cement mine with a volume of 9,000,000 cubic feet. In the lower portion of the mine temperatures were below freezing throughout the winter and rose to 41°F in late summer. Installation of louvres to allow flow of air into the cavern but not out resulted in a stabilized summer temperature of 38°F without altering the winter temperatures.

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