Geothermics, Vol.67, 29-39, 2017
Short-term fluid temperature variations in either a coaxial or U-tube borehole heat exchanger
This paper uses composite cylindrical heat-source (CCS) models and typical thermal response test procedures to investigate two full-scale borehole heat exchangers (BHE); where one is a U-tube BHE, and the other, a pipe-in-pipe (coaxial) BHE. A previously developed CCS model is compared to a simplified infinite line-source (ILS) model. A time-varying heat-flux term is verified for the U-tube case, noting the error found when using the CCS model. A model is developed using a similar approach accounting for a coaxial configuration showing a root mean square error (RMSE) of less than 0.1 degrees C over the duration of the test. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords:Borehole heat exchanger;Thermal response test;U-tube;Coaxial;Transient cylindrical response;Composite cylindrical model