A new approach to modelling of a horizontal geo-heat exchanger with an internal source term

Sarwo Edhy Sofyan, Eric Hu and Andrei Kotousov

Applied Energy, 2016, vol. 164, issue C, 963-971

Abstract: This paper presents a new approach to considering the effect of seasonal changes in soil temperature on the performance of a horizontal geo heat exchanger. It is different from extant models which consider the seasonal changes in soil temperature by applying a real energy balance on the ground surface. In the new model, the seasonal changes in soil temperature, which are affected by the thermal interaction between the ground and the atmosphere, are expressed as an internal source term. The value of the internal source term depends on the soil density, soil specific heat, soil temperature difference during summer and winter, and time period. The simulation results show that the new approach, which takes into account the effect of periodic soil temperature fluctuations on the performance of the horizontal geo heat exchanger, is valid. The validated model is then used to conduct a sensitivity analysis to investigate the effects of the pipe length, fluid flow rate, inlet fluid temperature, and burial depth on the thermal performance of the horizontal geo heat exchanger.

Keywords: Geo-heat exchanger; Thermal modelling; Internal source term (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261915008636
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:appene:v:164:y:2016:i:c:p:963-971

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/405891/bibliographic
http://www.elsevier. ... 405891/bibliographic

DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2015.07.034

Access Statistics for this article

Applied Energy is currently edited by J. Yan

More articles in Applied Energy from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().