BaudetteGra
North Star Arctic
Proving Grounds
Preliminary White Paper
Fairbanks Economic Development Corporation
Summary & Outline
“Other areas
boasting cold
weather proving
grounds can claim
some of the
attributes of the
FNSB but very few
have them all.”
The climate and conditions of the Fairbanks North
Star Borough are ideal for the Cold Weather
Testing industry. However, apart from individual
businesses catering to specific areas of the industry the
FNSB has failed to capitalize on its tremendous assets.
These assets include: length and severity of cold weather,
availability of land for site construction and expansion,
proximity to amenities commensurate with the State’s
second largest city, infrastructure, and local expertise.
Other areas boasting cold weather proving grounds can
claim some of those attributes but very few have them all.
This white paper will review four cold weather proving
grounds located in the United States to determine what
specifications should be required of an FNSB proving
ground to make it competitive. This white paper will also
use information gathered from engineers and cold
weather test designers from the automotive testing
industry to highlight important features of cold weather
proving grounds.
The design and construction of a proving ground in the
FNSB will require the consultation of all stakeholders
including government, private business, existing testing
facilities and the automotive industry. This white paper
will conclude by briefly recommending roles for the
government and private sector to collaborate and move
forward with a North Star Arctic Proving Ground.
North Star Arctic Proving Ground
pg. 2
Proving Grounds
1.
Smithers Winter Test Center – Sault Ste Marie, Michigan
Operated by Smithers Rapra – US HQ Akron, OH
“Smithers Rapra is the global leader in rubber, plastics, polymer and composites testing, consulting services, and
conferences, training, publications and market reports, focused mainly on the tire, industrial, transportation,
consumer and medical industries.” http://www.smithersrapra.com
Former site of Raco AAF/AFB. During the Cold War, this was a launch site for the
US Air Force's long-range BOMARC anti-aircraft missiles. This mission ended in
approximately 1972. No original military buildings remain, other than concrete
foundations for the BOMARC launcher shelters.
Test site is approximately 850 acres encompassing multiple tracks and a 20,000 ft²
heated garage with office space. It is located approximately 29 miles from the US
city of Sault Ste Marie in Chippewa County Michigan. Chippewa County has 38,917
people and Sault Ste Marie has a little over 14,000
North Star Arctic Proving Ground
pg. 3
2.
Bosch Proving Grounds – Baudette, Minnesota
The Baudette Proving ground is adjacent to the Baudette International
Airport located less than 5 miles from the Canadian Border.
Test site is approximately 600 acres encompassing multiple tracks with a 26,000 ft²
engineering building and a 12,000 ft² workspace/conference building.
According to the Bosch produced fact sheet they have invested approximately $7
million in the proving grounds. Operation and Maintenance is $1 million annually.
The site is located in Baudette, Minnesota a town of approximately 2,000 people in
Lake of the Woods County that has a population of 3,973.
North Star Arctic Proving Ground
pg. 4
3.
Automotive Enviro Testing (AET) – Baudette, Minnesota
Established in 1993 to provide support for automotive OEM cold weather research
and development programs in extreme northern Minnesota. In 1995, AET began
construction on a land based winter proving ground near Baudette, Minnesota.
820 acre test site with 7 heated garages from 1,700 ft² to 5,000 ft² including office
space. Facilities also include cold boxes for more reliable testing conditions.
Located 3.5 miles from Baudette, MN
North Star Arctic Proving Ground
pg. 5
4.
Unmanned Systems Proving Grounds – Grand Forks, North Dakota
Operated by the Brown Corporations – a commercial property and business park
operator in partnership with Unmanned Applications Institute International (UAII)
– a non profit 501(c)3 created to advance the unmanned systems industry in North
Dakota and the region.
Offers varying test ranges within 15 minutes of the business park and a number of
warehouses with offices available on site.
The Brown Corporations also offers financial services:
“Brown Corporations is continually looking for strategic investment opportunities through Wingspan, Brown
Corporations’ venture capital fund. This creates a unique environment for companies, especially small and start-up
companies, at Brown Corporations’ Unmanned Systems Proving Grounds to have direct access to investment funds.
Brown Corporations is also part of Valley Angel Investment Fund.”
Grand Forks, ND with a population of 53,456 people is the 3rd largest city n North
Dakota.
North Star Arctic Proving Ground
pg. 6
How Much Colder is Fairbanks?
These charts use data from The National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration’s
National Climatic Data Center to compare existing cold weather proving ground
sites with Fairbanks.
2011
Mean Max
Temp
Sault Ste Marie, Michigan
Baudette, Minnesota
Grand Forks, Michigan
Fairbanks, Alaska
2012
Mean
Minimum
51.5
34.5
43.0
-22.0
50.3
29.1
39.7
-39.0
51.8
30.4
41.1
-30.0
41.0
12.5
26.8
-44.0
Mean Max
Temp
Sault Ste Marie, Michigan
Baudette, Minnesota
Grand Forks, Michigan
Fairbanks, Alaska
Lowest
Mean Temp
Mean
Minimum
Mean Lowest Temp
54.4
36.8
45.6
-9.0
52.5
30.7
41.6
-23.0
54.9
32.3
43.6
-17.0
36.5
10.2
23.4
-56.0
The data shows that Fairbanks has had lower temperatures than other competing
cold weather proving grounds and the trend suggests these differences will continue
into the future. Data from 2012 shows that Fairbanks had mean temperatures
below freezing for 6 months of the year. The three competing sites only had four or
three months where the mean temperature was below freezing. Fairbanks also gets
colder earlier. In both 2011 and 2012 the mean temperature in Fairbanks dropped
below freezing in October, at least a full month before the other locations.
Fairbanks also stays cold with mean temperatures staying below freezing through
March.
North Star Arctic Proving Ground
pg. 7
Important Industry Features
The Cold Regions Test Center outside of Delta Junction is
currently the closest cold weather proving ground to the
Fairbanks North Star Borough. In an e-mail exchange between
The Operations Director of Auto Trim Design in Fairbanks and
Uwe Buehler a senior engineer at Daimler, Mr. Buehler
outlined the following critiques of the CRTC:
The Cold Regions
Test Center is
located on Ft.
Greely, 90 miles
south of Fairbanks
- Lack of “regular roads” that should be “long as possible”
- No nearby city to accommodate realistic city driving
- Not enough Cold Chambers
- Need a flat, smooth space minimum of 100m x 100m (328ft)
The major advantage, as written by Mr. Buehler was that
CRTC is a Military facility which affords testers greater levels
of secrecy and privacy
Fairbanks is also an advantageous spot for cold weather testers
because it enables testing to be conducted earlier in the year
which shortens the amount of time it takes to bring a product
to market. Recent actions by the Alaska State Legislature also
make Fairbanks a politically accommodating area for testing.
Mr. Buehler also mentioned that proving grounds in Sweden
command €40,000 ($53,000) per week with meals and lodging
Arctic Falls Proving Grounds
Located in North East Sweden the Arctic Falls complex has five separate proving grounds
featuring areas for different tests. They specialize in vehicle and tire testing. The complex
totals over 600 acres with multiple cold chamber, warehouses, garages and office space.
North Star Arctic Proving Ground
pg. 8
According to tutiempo.net the
2012 weather information for
Alvsbyn - where Arctic Falls is
located:
Average Temp – 33.8°F
Average Max Temp – 42.4°F
Average Min Temp – 22.8
Fairbanks had a lower average
temperature in 2012 with 23.4²F
and a lower Average Min Temp
with 10.2²F
Taking these suggestions into account and using specifications from other proving grounds
in the northern continental United States the North Star Arctic Proving Ground must
contain the following in order to be competitive
1.
Minimum 800 acre site with capability to expand
2.
Must be able to accommodate running water, electricity and high speed broadband
3.
Able to accommodate security concerns
4.
Close proximity to the city of Fairbanks and highways
5.
Contain Cold Chambers, Office Space, Warehouses and recreational facilities
The Fairbanks North Star Borough provides information on borough land currently under
consideration for planning and development.
North Star Arctic Proving Ground
pg. 9
Prepared by Sean O’Shea
Fairbanks Economic Development Corporation 301 Cushman Street Ste 301
Fairbanks, AK 99701
[email protected]
907-452-2185
http://www.coldweathertest.com
North Star Arctic Proving Ground
pg. 10