Measuring and Predicting the In-Ground Temperature Profile for Geothermal Energy Systems in the Desert of Arid Regions

Ahmed M. Abdel-Ghany (), Ibrahim M. Al-Helal, Abdullah Alsadon, Abdullah Ibrahim and Mohamed Shady
Additional contact information
Ahmed M. Abdel-Ghany: Department of Mechanical Power Engineering, Faculty of Energy Engineering, Aswan University, Aswan 8510, Egypt
Ibrahim M. Al-Helal: Department of Agricultural Engineering, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2460, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Abdullah Alsadon: Department of Plant Production, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2460, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Abdullah Ibrahim: Department of Plant Production, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2460, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Mohamed Shady: Department of Agricultural Engineering, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2460, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 19, 1-12

Abstract: Instead of fossil fuels, clean renewable energy resources are being used to meet space heating and cooling needs, to reduce global warming and air pollution worldwide. In the desert of the Arabian Peninsula, extensive solar irradiance and drastic variations in air temperatures (daily and/or seasonally) are common; thus, geothermal energy resources are a promising solution that is nearly independent of weather fluctuations. Due to a lack of information about in-ground temperature profiles in these regions, the use of geothermal energy resources for domestic applications is very limited. Therefore, this study aimed to measure the in-ground temperature ( T g ) up to 3.5 m in depth for one year. Due to the difficulty of digging in the ground (i.e., gravelly sand; rocky, dry soil), numerical equations were adopted and used to simulate the in-ground temperature ( T g ) for a depth > 3 m. These equations were validated by comparing the measured and simulated values of T g for depths ≤ 3 m under extreme weather conditions. The validation yielded a mean absolute error ( E MA ) of ≤ 1.2 °C and a root mean square error ( E RMS ) of ≤ 1.42 °C. The measurements showed that at 3 m depth, the in-ground temperature was 32 °C in summer and 29 °C in winter. The simulation showed that values of T g increased with depth in winter and decreased in summer and became constant as 30 °C at 13 m depth throughout the year (i.e., the undisturbed ground temperature (UGT)). This temperature would provide considerable heating and cooling capacity if an earth-to-air heat exchanger were implemented in arid regions where ambient temperatures exceed 47 °C on summer days and drop below 10 °C on winter nights. The theoretical prediction of T g using the proposed equations is a useful tool for designers who use geothermal effects for indoor space cooling and heating in the desert of arid regions.

Keywords: desert; arid climate; geothermal energy; in-ground temperature; prediction; heat storage (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: 2022
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