This paper presents the development and installation of a prototype ice load panel and measurements of ice load from February 2016 to February 2018 at the Rätan hydropower dam in Sweden. The design of the 1 × 3 m2 panel enables direct measurement of ice pressure on the concrete surface is based on previous experience from similar measurements with sea ice. Important features of the design are sufficient height and width to reduce scale effects and to cover the ice thickness and variations in water level. The Rätan dam was chosen based on several criteria so that the ice load is considered to be reasonably idealized against the dam structure.

For the three winters 2016, 2016/2017, 2017/2018, the maximum ice load recorded was 161 kN/m, 164 kN/m and 61 kN/m respectively. There were significant daily fluctuations during the cold winter months, and the daily peak ice loads showed a visual correlation with the daily average temperature and with the daily pattern of operation of the power station with its corresponding water level variations.