Field-scale experimental and numerical analysis of a downhole coaxial heat exchanger for geothermal energy production

Sajjan Pokhrel, Agus P. Sasmito, Atsushi Sainoki, Toshiyuki Tosha, Tatsuya Tanaka, Chiaki Nagai and Seyed Ali Ghoreishi-Madiseh

Renewable Energy, 2022, vol. 182, issue C, 521-535

Abstract: The experimental and computational analyses of a 500 m deep coaxial borehole heat exchanger system for geothermal power generation are studied in this paper. The experiments are carried out on a high temperature resourced well with an average thermal gradient of 0.38 °C/m. The experiment lasts 456 h, and the findings are described in terms of fluid inlet and outlet temperatures, subsurface temperature distribution profiles over time, and flowrate. The in-situ ground temperature distribution profile is measured using Distributed Temperature Sensing System for different hours of the experiment. A detailed, three-dimensional, unsteady-state, finite volume-based computational model has been developed, which solves conjugate fluid-flow and heat transfer phenomena. The simulation outcomes are compared to the results of the experiments. With validated numerical model, to determine the circle of influence, temperature profile of the ground is observed at various radial distances from the borehole. A parametric study is performed by varying inlet temperature of the fluid, mass flow rate, and the thermal conductivity of the ground. The numerical model developed also predicts the temperature recovery behavior of the ground. The results indicate that the average output thermal power for 456 h from the geothermal system ranges from 172 kW to 262 kW based on operating condition chosen and the total thermal energy generated changes between 82 MWh and 194 MWh from a single borehole. After the extraction is terminated, around 86% of the initial ground temperature is restored after 456 h.

Keywords: Wellbore heat exchanger (WBHX); Geothermal power experimental analysis; Coaxial borehole heat exchanger; Bayonet tube heat exchanger; Numerical simulation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:renene:v:182:y:2022:i:c:p:521-535

DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2021.10.038

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