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Low-Cost Distributed Thermal Response Test for the Estimation of Thermal Ground and Grout Conductivities in Geothermal Heat Pump Applications

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  • Antonella Priarone

    (Dime Department of Mechanical, Energy, Management and Transportation Engineering, The University of Genova, Via Opera Pia 15, 16145 Genova, Italy)

  • Stefano Morchio

    (Dime Department of Mechanical, Energy, Management and Transportation Engineering, The University of Genova, Via Opera Pia 15, 16145 Genova, Italy)

  • Marco Fossa

    (Dime Department of Mechanical, Energy, Management and Transportation Engineering, The University of Genova, Via Opera Pia 15, 16145 Genova, Italy)

  • Samuele Memme

    (Dime Department of Mechanical, Energy, Management and Transportation Engineering, The University of Genova, Via Opera Pia 15, 16145 Genova, Italy)

Abstract

The design process of a borehole heat exchanger (BHE) requires knowledge of building thermal loads, the expected heat pump’s COP and the ground’s thermophysical properties. The thermal response test (TRT) is a common experimental technique for estimating the ground’s thermal conductivity and borehole thermal resistance. In classic TRT, a constant heat transfer rate is provided above ground to the carrier fluid that circulates continuously inside a pilot BHE. The average fluid temperature is measured, and from its time-dependent evolution, it is possible to infer both the thermal resistance of the BHE and the thermal conductivity of the ground. The present paper investigates the possibility of a new approach for TRT with the continuous injection of heat directly into the BHE’s grouting by means of electrical resistance imparted along the entire BHE’s length, while local (along the depth) temperature measurements are acquired. This DTRT (distributed TRT) approach has seldom been applied and, in most applications, circulating hot fluid and optical fibers are used to infer depth-related temperatures. The distributed measurements allow the detection of thermal ground anomalies along the heat exchanger and even the presence of aquifer layers. The present paper investigates the new EDDTRT (electric depth-distributed TRT, under patenting) approach based on traditional instruments (e.g., RTD) or one-wire digital sensors. The accuracy of the proposed method is numerically assessed by Comsol Multiphysics simulations. The analysis of the data obtained from the “virtual” EDDTRT confirms the possibility of estimating within 10% accuracy both thermal ground and grout conductivities.

Suggested Citation

  • Antonella Priarone & Stefano Morchio & Marco Fossa & Samuele Memme, 2023. "Low-Cost Distributed Thermal Response Test for the Estimation of Thermal Ground and Grout Conductivities in Geothermal Heat Pump Applications," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(21), pages 1-16, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:16:y:2023:i:21:p:7393-:d:1272380
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Lamarche, Louis, 2013. "Short-term behavior of classical analytic solutions for the design of ground-source heat pumps," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 171-180.
    2. Aresti, Lazaros & Christodoulides, Paul & Florides, Georgios A., 2021. "An investigation on the environmental impact of various Ground Heat Exchangers configurations," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 171(C), pages 592-605.
    3. Javed, Saqib & Spitler, Jeffrey, 2017. "Accuracy of borehole thermal resistance calculation methods for grouted single U-tube ground heat exchangers," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 187(C), pages 790-806.
    4. Stefano Morchio & Marco Fossa & Antonella Priarone & Alessia Boccalatte, 2021. "Reduced Scale Experimental Modelling of Distributed Thermal Response Tests for the Estimation of the Ground Thermal Conductivity," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-15, October.
    5. Acuña, José & Palm, Björn, 2013. "Distributed thermal response tests on pipe-in-pipe borehole heat exchangers," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 312-320.
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