Page 6 - Mar-Apr2022 Vol39 No7

KNOXVILLE & KNOX COUNTY Compiled by Lisa H. Skinner

LET IT SNOW!! Precision Deicer System to

Improve Snow & Ice Treatment, Ease Budgets

School children, sledding enthusiasts test conditions less than ideal. then communicates to the truck’s actual
and those just wishing for a good snow They finally got their snow wish in equipment to regulate the amount of
weren’t the only ones crossing their early 2022. brine distributed by electronic solenoid
fingers this winter. Knox County Truck Makes a Test Run valves.
For several years, local entrepreneurs Developed by the Department of In January 2022, Knox County was
and Oak Ridge researchers, a group Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory able to make a couple good test runs
of University of Tennessee graduate (ORNL), the Clinch River Computing, with the technology, according to Brad
students, and even the Knox County and LLC and the University of Tennessee, Warren, P.E., Knox County’s Chief
City of Knoxville’s Public Works and Knoxville, the deicer system, called Operations Engineer for Engineering
Public Service Departments have been Precision Deicer, is centered around and Public Works. Before the snow hit
assisting development and refinement of a variable control mechanism on the the county area, Kevin Homan, President
a now-patented deicer solution for the brine trucks that’s specifically designed of Clinch River Computing, outfitted
colder months. However, to better test it to optimize the amount of melting/de- a Knox County snow truck with the
out, they needed a snow which was not icing, agent applied to road surfaces. Precision Deicer system (even though
preceded by rain. The resulting dispenser minimizes the truck still carried its existing manual
The initial working field prototype wasted brine as roads are treated. To system, to operate as a fallback if any
(which TPW Magazine briefly covered maximize effectiveness, it’s paired issues occurred.)
a few years ago), first went out on a with a computer tablet to read light Curt Thomas, Knox County Highway
Knoxville City salt truck in January 2019. detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensor Superintendent, said the specially-
But in recent years, the Knoxville/Knox data. This data is combined with speed outfitted truck’s route and ensuing test
County region typically had been getting and location from a GPS to calculate run stretched “from the Rocky Hill area
rain-then-snow events, which made the the amount of brine to apply. The tablet all the way down Northshore Drive,

6 TPW March/April 2022