Numerical modeling and analysis of the effect of surface groundwater flow and Natural Convection on the Heat Exchange of energy pile

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

1 MSc, Geotechnical Group, Civil Engineering Faculty, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

2 Professor, Geotechnical Group, Civil Engineering Faculty, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

The use of renewable energy, particularly shallow geothermal energy, for heating and cooling various spaces during both hot and cold seasons has received considerable attention. Therefore, investigating the natural factors affecting the efficiency of this system, especially the groundwater flow, is of particular importance. The presence of groundwater flow significantly increases the efficiency of shallow geothermal systems. It has been found that the existence of groundwater flow significantly improves the efficiency of the shallow geothermal energy system. However, the assessment of system efficiency under the influence of groundwater flow is often subjected to error and has been inadequately addressed in the literature. In this study, an energy pile was modelled for a period of 90 days using COMSOL Multiphysics software and the finite element method, taking into account surface groundwater flow. The modelling assumes constant soil and inlet fluid temperature. The analysis was carried out for heating and cooling scenarios with various U-shaped pipe existence of groundwater flow. The results indicate that the presence of surface groundwater flow due to natural convection, independent of soil temperature, leads to a significant reduction in system performance.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Amirkabir Journal of Civil Engineering
Volume 56, Issue 5
2024
Pages 6-6

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics