Eighth International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering
Performance of a Field-Scale Shallow Horizontal Thermal Energy Storage System
Publication: Geo-Congress 2019: Geoenvironmental Engineering and Sustainability (GSP 312)
ABSTRACT
This study focuses on the performance of a shallow, horizontal thermal energy storage system in San Diego. Heat collected from solar thermal panels over a period of 120 days was injected into a slinky-loop heat exchanger installed at a depth of 1.2 m from the ground surface in compacted backfill soil, and the evolution in ground temperature was measured using embedded temperature sensors in the subsurface. Although the heat injection rate used in the experiment was relatively small, the field test still provides useful data for the validation of design models for horizontal heat storage systems. For an average heat injection rate of 20 W/m2, the ground temperature increased to approximately 6°C greater than the ambient ground temperature expected at the depth of the heat exchanger. An analytical model for horizontal heat exchangers considering surface temperature fluctuations was calibrated against the measured data and was used to evaluate the impacts of design parameters on the storage of thermal energy in the shallow subsurface.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Geo-Congress 2019: Geoenvironmental Engineering and Sustainability (GSP 312)
Pages: 273 - 281
Editors: Christopher L. Meehan, Ph.D., University of Delaware, Sanjeev Kumar, Ph.D., Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Miguel A. Pando, Ph.D., University of North Carolina Charlotte, and Joseph T. Coe, Ph.D., Temple University
ISBN (Online): 978-0-7844-8214-8
Copyright
© 2019 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Published online: Mar 21, 2019
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Compacted soils
- Energy engineering
- Energy infrastructure
- Energy sources (by type)
- Energy storage
- Engineering fundamentals
- Field tests
- Geomechanics
- Geotechnical engineering
- Infrastructure
- Lifeline systems
- Measurement (by type)
- Renewable energy
- Soil mechanics
- Soils (by type)
- Solar power
- Temperature effects
- Temperature measurement
- Tests (by type)
- Thermal power
Authors
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