Modeling of Through-the-Snow Electric Field Propagation for Rescue Systems

N. Ayuso[1], V. Bataller[1], A. Muñoz[2], D. Tardioli[1], J. A. Cuchí[1], F. Lera[3], and J. L. Villarroel[1]
[1]Aragón Institute for Engineering Research (I3A), University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
[2]Advanced Research Laboratories of I3A, Walqa Technological park, Huesca, Spain
[3]Institute of Material Science of Aragón, CSIC-Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
Published in 2011

Propagation models for avalanche rescue systems are studied here. The paper focuses on the through-the-snow electric field propagation at ISM frequencies, comparing several models (air model, snow model, three-layered model) and using different solving method (geometrical optics, numerical solution in Matlab and FEM with COMSOL).

The simulation results are fitted to experimental data, finding the optimal model for the problem under study. The FEM method allows designing more realistic geometries for the problem, albeit the other solving methods are simpler and require fewer computational resources.