Ground Thermal Characteristics of typical soils in Cyprus for Ground Heat Exchangers
Date Issued
2019
Abstract
Shallow Geothermal Energy Systems (SGES) rely on exchanging energy between the building and the
ground. This is achieved with Ground Source Heap Pump (GSHP) systems by utilizing Ground Heat
Exchangers (GHEs). GHEs are essentially a network of pipes installed in the shallow depth of the
ground responsible for extracting or rejecting heat to and from the ground.
The thermal characteristics of the ground affect the rate and the performance of the GSHP and, hence,
such information is vital for designing a GSHP system. Such characteristics include the thermal
conductivity, the thermal diffusivity and the specific heat capacity and can be obtained by using
empirical prediction models, laboratory tests and in-situ tests.
This paper presents Laboratory thermal tests, which have the advantage of requiring less time, small
volume of soil, and reduction in cost. Evaluation of thermal properties is achieved by using two
commercially available transient needle probes; namely the Isomet-2104 and Hukseflux-TPSY02 and
one surface probe by Isomet-2104. A comparison on the testing and the accuracy of the equipment is
presented. Furthermore, a numerical modeling solution using COMSOL Multiphysics software is
presented and validated against the experimental data.
ground. This is achieved with Ground Source Heap Pump (GSHP) systems by utilizing Ground Heat
Exchangers (GHEs). GHEs are essentially a network of pipes installed in the shallow depth of the
ground responsible for extracting or rejecting heat to and from the ground.
The thermal characteristics of the ground affect the rate and the performance of the GSHP and, hence,
such information is vital for designing a GSHP system. Such characteristics include the thermal
conductivity, the thermal diffusivity and the specific heat capacity and can be obtained by using
empirical prediction models, laboratory tests and in-situ tests.
This paper presents Laboratory thermal tests, which have the advantage of requiring less time, small
volume of soil, and reduction in cost. Evaluation of thermal properties is achieved by using two
commercially available transient needle probes; namely the Isomet-2104 and Hukseflux-TPSY02 and
one surface probe by Isomet-2104. A comparison on the testing and the accuracy of the equipment is
presented. Furthermore, a numerical modeling solution using COMSOL Multiphysics software is
presented and validated against the experimental data.
Subjects
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