Use of advanced pipe and grout materials in an experimental Single-U BHE: Installation procedure assessment and thermal properties comparison using C2RLSM

Miguel Á. Mateo Pla, Borja Badenes, Bruno Armengot, José Manuel Cuevas, Burkhard Sanner and Javier F. Urchueguía

Renewable Energy, 2025, vol. 245, issue C

Abstract: The performance of a Shallow Geothermal Energy System (SGES) is significantly influenced by the materials that conform their borehole heat exchangers (BHEs). Traditionally, plastic pipes and cement-based grouts, originally developed for other applications, have been employed in these systems due to their accessibility and ease of installation. However, these materials impose certain efficiency limitations. This article reports the installation process of two BHEs using new grout and pipe materials designed to increase their suitability for SGE systems. The validation process included material characterization tests during installation. Once installed, the new boreholes were compared with a reference BHE (based on standard pipes and grout) by performing standard Thermal Response Tests (TRT) on each borehole at the same thermal power injection rate. The Composite 2 Region Line Source Model (C2RLSM) has been used to analyse the TRT data. C2RLSM gives plausible estimates on the thermal properties of the ground and the BHE, including a comparable borehole thermal resistance Rb∗. We report improved Rb∗ from 0.15 mK/W for standard materials to 0.1 mK/W for new materials. The use of these materials could imply CAPEX reductions of more than 20% in common BHE.

Keywords: Shallow geothermal energy; Borehole heat exchangers; Pipe thermal properties; Ground thermal properties; C2RLSM; Cost savings in GSHP (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:renene:v:245:y:2025:i:c:s0960148125003568

DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2025.122694

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