Experimental investigation of the vertical helical borehole heat exchanger (VHBHE) wrapped with shape-stabilized phase change material

Z. Zhou, Y. Wang, Y. Tao, Gang Wu and Chunyi Yu

Energy, 2025, vol. 336, issue C

Abstract: Phase change materials (PCMs) can enhance the performance of borehole heat exchangers (BHEs) when used as backfill. Encapsulating PCMs around the BHE wall reduces the risk of leakage, yet systematic experimental and thermodynamic studies remain limited. This work conducted a full-scale experiment on a vertical helical BHE (VHBHE) integrated with shape-stabilized PCM (SSPCM) and evaluated its thermal response under simulated building load conditions. Experimental results showed that low heating power levels (700 W–800 W) led to inefficient utilization of SSPCMs. Additionally, under standard operational cycling (8 h–16 h start-stop ratio), heating power variations had minimal impact on soil thermal recovery, with a maximum temperature difference of 0.13 °C. Complete recovery of the soil temperature field occurred within one week of cyclical operation. The method also demonstrates a favorable incremental cost-benefit ratio, with an average of 1.32 and a maximum of 2.09. Thermal analysis revealed that SSPCM reduces the thermal resistance of the ground heat exchanger but increases exergy loss. This study provides valuable insights for the broader adoption of PCMs as backfill materials for BHEs.

Keywords: Vertical helical borehole heat exchanger; Shape-stabilized phase change material; Wrapped backfill method; Thermal performance; Exergy analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:336:y:2025:i:c:s0360544225041209

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2025.138478

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