In Situ Experiment and Numerical Model Validation of a Borehole Heat Exchanger in Shallow Hard Crystalline Rock

Mateusz Janiszewski, Enrique Caballero Hernández, Topias Siren, Lauri Uotinen, Ilmo Kukkonen and Mikael Rinne
Additional contact information
Mateusz Janiszewski: Department of Civil Engineering, School of Engineering, Aalto University, P.O. Box 12100, FI-00076 AALTO, Espoo, Finland
Enrique Caballero Hernández: Department of Civil Engineering, School of Engineering, Aalto University, P.O. Box 12100, FI-00076 AALTO, Espoo, Finland
Topias Siren: Department of Civil Engineering, School of Engineering, Aalto University, P.O. Box 12100, FI-00076 AALTO, Espoo, Finland
Lauri Uotinen: Department of Civil Engineering, School of Engineering, Aalto University, P.O. Box 12100, FI-00076 AALTO, Espoo, Finland
Ilmo Kukkonen: Department of Physics, Helsinki University, P.O. Box 68, FI-00014 Helsingin Yliopisto, Helsinki, Finland
Mikael Rinne: Department of Civil Engineering, School of Engineering, Aalto University, P.O. Box 12100, FI-00076 AALTO, Espoo, Finland

Energies, 2018, vol. 11, issue 4, 1-21

Abstract: Accurate and fast numerical modelling of the borehole heat exchanger (BHE) is required for simulation of long-term thermal energy storage in rocks using boreholes. The goal of this study was to conduct an in situ experiment to validate the proposed numerical modelling approach. In the experiment, hot water was circulated for 21 days through a single U-tube BHE installed in an underground research tunnel located at a shallow depth in crystalline rock. The results of the simulations using the proposed model were validated against the measurements. The numerical model simulated the BHE’s behaviour accurately and compared well with two other modelling approaches from the literature. The model is capable of replicating the complex geometrical arrangement of the BHE and is considered to be more appropriate for simulations of BHE systems with complex geometries. The results of the sensitivity analysis of the proposed model have shown that low thermal conductivity, high density, and high heat capacity of rock are essential for maximising the storage efficiency of a borehole thermal energy storage system. Other characteristics of BHEs, such as a high thermal conductivity of the grout, a large radius of the pipe, and a large distance between the pipes, are also preferred for maximising efficiency.

Keywords: underground thermal energy storage; borehole heat exchanger; in situ experiment; numerical modelling; model validation; finite element method; COMSOL Multiphysics; crystalline rock (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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