Correlations to determine the mean fluid temperature of double U-tube borehole heat exchangers with a typical geometry

Abstract

In the evaluation of thermal response tests and in the dynamic simulation of ground-coupled heat pumps, the mean temperature Tm of the working fluid in a borehole heat exchanger is usually approximated by the arithmetic mean of inlet and outlet temperature. In thermal response tests, this approximation causes an overestimation of the thermal resistance of the heat exchanger. In the dynamic simulation of ground-coupled heat pumps, this approximation introduces an error in the evaluation of the outlet temperature from the ground heat exchangers. In this paper, by means of 3D finite element simulations, we provide tables of a dimensionless coefficient that allows an immediate evaluation of Tm in any working condition, with reference to double U-tube borehole heat exchangers with a typical geometry. These tables allow a more accurate estimation of the borehole thermal resistance by thermal response tests and a more accurate evaluation of the outlet temperature in dynamic simulations of ground-coupled heat pump systems. Criteria for the extension of the results to other geometries are also provided.