Simulation of heat losses and ground temperatures for district-heating culverts. Comparison with field experiments for well-insulated, damaged, and extra-insulated culverts

Technical Report · Tue Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1985

OSTI ID:6906529

Hagentoft, C E

Many old district-heating culverts are in bad condition due to the entry of water into the thermal insulation. The thermal conductivity, and thereby the heat loss from the culvert, is much larger for a wet than a dry thermal insulation. The high energy prices make it interesting and necessary to find the water-damaged parts of the district-heating culvert and improve the thermal insulation so that a reduction in the heat losses is obtained. The aim of the project is to develop a simple field method to determine the heat loss and the condition of the culvert. The method is based on the measurement of the temperature on the top of the culvert and a classification of the soil. The classification of the soil gives an estimation of its thermal conductivity. The heat loss and the reduction in heat loss due to an extra insulation is estimated from these data. Five different types of culverts were tested: two types of asbestos cement culverts, one concrete culvert, and two aerated concrete culverts. The comparison of the measured temperatures and the temperatures obtained from the simulations is reported in the study.

• Research Organization: Statens Raad foer Byggnadsforskning, Stockholm (Sweden)
• OSTI ID: 6906529
• Report Number(s): PB-87-109179/XAB; D-16:1986
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
320603* -- Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization-- Municipalities & Community Systems-- Public Utilities-- (1980-)
ASBESTOS
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
DISTRICT HEATING
ENERGY LOSSES
FIELD TESTS
HEAT LOSSES
HEATING
LOSSES
PIPELINES
SIMULATION
TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENT
TESTING
THERMAL INSULATION