Geotechnical Analysis of Heat Exchanger Piles
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 137, Issue 10
Abstract
There is currently a lack of established calculation methods for the geotechnical design of heat exchanger piles, although the technology is experiencing a fast expansion. Instead of quantifying the effects of temperature changes on the static behavior of heat exchanger piles, the common geotechnical practice is to apply a large overall security factor. This is done to be on the side of safety with respect to thermal effects. The few existing in situ experiments show that applying a thermal load induces a significant change in the stress-strain state of a pile. This paper presents a geotechnical numerical analysis method based on the load-transfer approach that assesses the main effects of temperature changes on pile behavior. The method is validated on the basis of in situ measurements of the loads and deformations experienced by heat exchanger test piles. The occurrence of critical design situations is further discussed. Some conclusions are formulated on concrete failure and the full mobilization of the pile shaft friction and base resistance during the operation of the heat exchange system.
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Acknowledgments
The writers would like to thank the reviewers for their very constructive comments, and Mrs Alice Di Donna for her contribution to the validation of the numerical code. This work was partly funded by Swisselectric Research.
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Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 137 • Issue 10 • October 2011
Pages: 890 - 902
Copyright
© 2011 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Sep 4, 2009
Accepted: Jan 25, 2011
Published online: Jan 28, 2011
Published in print: Oct 1, 2011
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