Effect of groundwater flow on thermal performance of SBTES systems

Abstract

In this study the influence of different groundwater flow conditions on the short- and long-term thermal performance of SBTES system is studied. Numerical analyses of a SBTES system are performed using COMSOL with four groundwater table depths and with four groundwater velocities. The study evaluates the thermal performance of SBTES in terms of the average temperature, heat stored, and system efficiency over a 10-year operational period. The results indicate that high groundwater velocity (1 × 10−5 m s−1) has a detrimental effect on the thermal performance of SBTES, causing significant reduction in the stored heat. Medium groundwater velocity (1 × 10−7 m s−1) with the groundwater table at half the depth of SBTES has an insignificant effect during the initial years of operation but causes significant reduction in heat stored over the long term. The study also highlights the potential of heat loss resulting from high velocity groundwater flow taking place below the SBTES. The findings suggest that groundwater flow plays a critical role in the thermal performance of SBTES, and long-term analysis is necessary to evaluate the impact.