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Impact of Geometrical Misplacement of Heat Exchanger Pipe Parallel Configuration in Energy Piles

Author

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  • Qusi I. Alqawasmeh

    (Department of Infrastructure Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia)

  • Guillermo A. Narsilio

    (Department of Infrastructure Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia)

  • Nikolas Makasis

    (School of Sustainability, Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, UK
    Department of Engineering, The University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1PZ, UK)

Abstract

Shallow geothermal or ground source heat pump (GSHP) energy systems offer efficient space heating and cooling, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and electrical consumption. Incorporating ground heat exchangers (GHEs) within pile foundations, as part of these GSHP systems, has gained significant attention as it can reduce capital costs. The design and optimisation of GHEs connected in parallel within energy piles have been researched widely, considering symmetrical placement, while the potential misplacement due to construction errors and the optimal placement remain mostly unexplored. This study utilises 3D finite element numerical methods, analysing energy piles with diameters from 0.5 m to 1.4 m, equipped with parallelly connected U-tube and W-tube GHEs. The impact of GHE loop placement is analysed, considering the influence of the ground and concrete thermal conductivities, pile length, fluid flow rate, GHE pipe diameter, and pile spacing. Results indicate a marginal impact, less than 3%, on the overall heat transfer when loops deviate from symmetry and less than 5% on the total heat transfer shared by each loop, except for highly non-symmetric configurations. Symmetrical and evenly spaced loop placement generally maintains favourable thermal performance and ease of installation. This study underscores the flexibility in GHE design and construction with a low risk of thermal yield variations due to uncertainties, particularly with a separation-to-shank distance ratio between 0.5 and 1.5 in a symmetrical distribution.

Suggested Citation

  • Qusi I. Alqawasmeh & Guillermo A. Narsilio & Nikolas Makasis, 2024. "Impact of Geometrical Misplacement of Heat Exchanger Pipe Parallel Configuration in Energy Piles," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-25, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:17:y:2024:i:11:p:2580-:d:1402757
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Cui, Ping & Jia, Linrui & Zhou, Xinlei & Yang, Wenxiao & Zhang, Wenke, 2020. "Heat transfer analysis of energy piles with parallel U-Tubes," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 161(C), pages 1046-1058.
    2. Lee, C.K. & Lam, H.N., 2013. "A simplified model of energy pile for ground-source heat pump systems," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 838-845.
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