• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.143-147
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• 2013

Geothermal energy is easy to take advantage of renewable energy stored in the earth and the heat exchanger can be collected through a heat exchange piping system. In this study, have been developed a heat exchange pipe loop system which it could be installed in tunnel segmental linings to collect geothermal energy around the tunnel. The heat exchange pipe loop system incorporated in the tunnel segments circulate fluid to transport with heat from the surrounding ground and the heat can be used for heating and cooling of nearby structures or districts. The segmental lining incorporating heat exchange pipe loop system are called as ELS (Energy Lining Segment). There are a number of examples incorporating a heat exchange pipe loop system in a tunnel lining in Europe. In this study, a field case using Energy Lining Segment in Germany and applications in urban area are thoroughly examined. In addition, a CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) analysis was carried out to investigate heat flow in Energy Lining Segment.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Geothermal and Hydrothermal Energy
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.13-18
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• 2014

This paper proposes an optimum pipe material (PVC vs. PE) design & selection for open loop ground heat exchangers. Heat exchange efficiency and/or workability, and the need for trench insulation were investigated by comparing EWT (cooling mode) of each system. CFD simulations for the PVC and PE pipe with the same inner diameter show similar EWT. This is because the PVC pipe has a small thickness but a low thermal conductivity as compared to the PE pipe, and thus these two properties tend to offset each other. However, a hypothetically insulated pipe led to a meaningful drop of EWT. This means pipe insulation is of importance in performance of ground heat exchangers. From analyzing climate data and system operation, it is not advantageous to insulate trench pipes due to construction difficulties and ground temperature characteristics that are seasonally varied.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.361-375
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• 2015

An energy pile is one of the novel ground heat exchangers (GHEX's) that is a economical alternative to the conventional closed-loop vertical GHEX. The combined system of both a structural foundation and a GHEX contains a heat exchange pipe inside the pile foundation and allows a working fluid circulating through the pipe, inducing heat exchange with the ground formation. In this paper, a group of energy piles equipped with parallel U-type (5, 8 and 10 pairs) heat exchange pipes was constructed in a test-bed by fabricating in large-diameter cast-in-place concrete piles. In addition, a closed-loop vertical GHEX with 30m depth was constructed nearby to conduct in-situ thermal response tests (TRTs) and to compare with the thermal performance of the cast-in-place energy piles. A series of thermal performance tests was carried out with application of an artificial cooling and heating load to evaluate the heat exchange rate of energy piles. The applicability of cast-in-place energy piles was evaluated by comparing the relative heat exchange efficiency and heat exchange rate with preceding studies. Finally, it is concluded that the cast-in-place energy piles constructed in the test-bed demonstrate effective and stable thermal performance compared with the other types of GHEX.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.23-33
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• 2015

In the present study, a ground heat exchanger was installed for each heat source in the system at the site to evaluate ground heat conductivity, constructability, and economic feasibility; the factors considered in the study included ground heat, groundwater, fillers (such as bentonite and pea pebbles) and the shape of the heat exchange pipe (e.g., U and D-U). The aim was to determine the ground heat exchanger appropriate for the geothermal system in the 3rd-phase construction of Incheon International Airport. A comparative cost analysis of the initial costs based on the above information showed that although the initial costs of the regular vertical closed loop-II and modified vertical closed loop were lower than those of the regular vertical closed loop-I, they could not be expected to deliver high economic efficiency from the viewpoint of constructability (filler injection, heat exchange pipe insertion). The initial costs proved to be higher in the case of Geohil.