Axial and Radial Thermal Responses of a Field-Scale Energy Pile under Monotonic and Cyclic Temperature Changes
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 144, Issue 10
Abstract
The axial and radial thermal responses of a field-scale energy pile installed in dense sand and subjected to monotonic and cyclic temperatures are examined. It is found that the axial thermal strains in the pile are more restricted to thermal expansion/contraction compared to radial thermal strains. The radial thermal strains are close to that of a pile expanding/contracting freely, indicating minimal resistance from the surrounding soil in the radial direction. As a result, very low magnitudes of radial thermal stresses developed in the pile compared to axial thermal stresses. The pile–soil radial contact stresses estimated from the cavity expansion analysis are up to 12 kPa for a pile temperature change of 22.5°C and are likely to stay low for the range of commonly encountered operating temperatures for cast-in-place concrete energy piles installed in dense sand. During cyclic heating and cooling, unstable changes in axial and radial thermal strains were observed initially during initial cycles, indicating a ratcheting response. The changes in strains became more stable over further cycles without significant changes in side friction or pile–soil contact stresses.
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Acknowledgments
The geothermal energy pile installation was funded by the Victorian Government Sustainability Fund (2009–2012), Vibropile Pty. Ltd., Golder Associates Pty. Ltd., and GeoExchange Australia Pty. Ltd. (Project No. 4678). This research project is supported under the Australian Research Council’s Linkage Projects funding scheme (Project No. LP120200613). The authors also acknowledge the Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship provided to the first author. The last author was supported by US National Science Foundation grant CMMI-0928159. The support of all the sponsors is gratefully acknowledged.
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Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 144 • Issue 10 • October 2018
Copyright
©2018 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Aug 19, 2017
Accepted: Apr 25, 2018
Published online: Jul 24, 2018
Published in print: Oct 1, 2018
Discussion open until: Dec 24, 2018
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