Vertical temperature profiles and borehole resistance in a U-tube borehole heat exchanger
2012 (English)In: Geothermics, ISSN 0375-6505, E-ISSN 1879-3576, Vol. 44, p. 23-32Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
The design of ground source heat pump systems requires values for the ground thermal conductivity and the borehole thermal resistance. In situ thermal response tests (TRT) are often performed on vertical boreholes to determine these parameters. Most TRT analysis methods apply the mean of the inlet and outlet temperatures of the circulating fluid along the entire borehole length. This assumption is convenient but not rigorous. To provide a more general approach, this paper develops an analytical model of the vertical temperature profile in the borehole during the late-time period of the in situ test. The model also includes the vertical temperature profile of the undisturbed ground. The model is verified with distributed temperature measurements along a vertical borehole using fiber optic cables inside a U-tube for the circulating fluid. The borehole thermal resistance is calculated without the need for the mean temperature approximation. In the studied borehole, the mean temperature approximation overestimates the borehole resistance by more than 20%.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2012. Vol. 44, p. 23-32
Keywords [en]
Borehole heat transfer, Borehole thermal resistance, Ground thermal conductivity, Ground-source heat pump, Thermal response test, Analysis method, Borehole heat exchangers, Borehole resistances, General approach, In-situ, In-situ test, Mean temperature, Outlet temperature, Vertical borehole, Vertical temperature profile, Boreholes, Temperature measurement, Tubes (components), Thermal conductivity, analytical method, borehole, heat transfer, numerical model, temperature profile
National Category
Energy Engineering
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-103535DOI: 10.1016/j.geothermics.2012.06.001ISI: 000309302400003Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-84865569464OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kth-103535DiVA, id: diva2:560566
Note
QC 20121015
2012-10-152012-10-152017-12-07Bibliographically approved