Thermal Conductivity of Municipal Solid Waste from In Situ Heat Extraction Tests
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 146, Issue 9
Abstract
Given that municipal solid waste (MSW) in landfills can reach temperatures greater than 50°C that may be sustained for several decades due to methanogenic bacteria activity, the generated heat is an alternative energy source that can be exploited for direct heating of nearby infrastructure or for augmenting industrial processes. However, in situ measurements of MSW thermal properties are needed to properly design heat extraction systems for landfills. In this study, the spatial and temporal evolution of the waste temperatures in a new MSW landfill cell in Santee, California, were monitored over 13 months. After the temperatures reached stable values, a 17-day heat extraction thermal response test was performed on serpentine geothermal heat exchangers that were installed at three elevations in the cell during waste placement. Because the serpentine segments were separated from each other to minimize thermal interference during the heat extraction test, the pipes were assumed to represent line heat sinks. The values of effective thermal conductivity estimated from infinite line source analyses ranged from 0.86 to , which are consistent with values on the higher range of those from laboratory tests on MSW.
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Data Availability Statement
All data, models, and code generated or used during the study appear in the published article.
Acknowledgments
Funding from the Technical Advisory Committee of Geosyntec Consultants is greatly appreciated. The generous support of Republic Services, Inc., in providing a test site and assisting with planning and installation of the heat exchanger system is gratefully acknowledged, along with the help of Gabe Gonzales and Jamie C. Harris with the installation of the system and Jesus C. Torres and Neil Mohr with the implementation planning. The scholarship received by the first author from the Brazilian Federal Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education – CAPES (Process No. 99999.002164/2015-09) is highly appreciated.
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Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 146 • Issue 9 • September 2020
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©2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Jun 11, 2019
Accepted: Apr 3, 2020
Published online: Jun 23, 2020
Published in print: Sep 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Nov 23, 2020
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