The operation of ground source heat pumps combined with foundation piles can have an effect on the thermal behaviour of the pile and the surrounding soil. This paper presents the effects of continuous heating, continuous cooling, and alternate heating and cooling operations on ground and pile temperatures as well as the thermo-mechanical behaviour of a field scale energy pile. The effect of pile operation on the ground temperatures is highest near the pile and reduces with increasing radial distance. The results of the present studies generally showed that the thermal elasticity of the pile is not affected.
Subjects: Geothermal energy pile, continuous operation, alternate heating/cooling, thermo-mechanical response
Author: Mohammed Faizal and Abdelmalek Bouazza
Publisher: DFI and PFSF