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Title: Determining Effective Soil Formation Thermal Properties From Field Data Using A Parameter Estimation Technique

Journal Article · · Transactions / American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers
OSTI ID:978268
 [1];  [2]
  1. ORNL
  2. Michigan State University, East Lansing

A one-dimensional thermal model is derived to describe the temperature field around a vertical borehole heat exchanger (BHEX) for a geothermal heat pump. The inlet and outlet pipe flows are modeled as one, and an effective heat capacity is added to model the heat storage in the fluid and pipes. Parameter estimation techniques are then used to estimate various parameters associated with the model, including the thermal conductivity of the soil and the grout that fills the borehole and surrounds the U-tube. The model is validated using test data from an experimental rig containing sand with known thermal conductivity. The estimates of the sand's thermal conductivity derived from the model are found to be in good agreement with independent measurements.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
DE-AC05-00OR22725
OSTI ID:
978268
Journal Information:
Transactions / American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Vol. 105
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English