Category: Transient Plane Source
Author(s): Marine Marcucci
Keywords: borehole, geothermal heat pumps, ground source heat exchanger, grout, Testing thermal conductivity of grout to model conditions inside of a borehole, Thermal Conductivity, Thermal Resistance
Abstract: The goal of this masters thesis was to better understand the factors affecting the performance of geothermal heat pumps. A new method (Distributed Thermal Response Testing) of determining the ground thermal conductivity and thermal resistance around a borehole from filed data was tested. In order to test the accuracy of this method, it was compared against laboratory results and field tests. An instrument was used in a laboratory setting to measure the thermal conductivity of grouts used to backfill a borehole, and the results were compared to those obtained through the experimental method in an attempt to understand the conditions inside of the borehole. Variation between the results suggested that more information on the drying state of the grout inside the borehole was needed to obtain a complete picture.
Reference: Masters Thesis, KTH School of Industrial Engineering and Management (2014)
DOI: N/A