Design of soil energy storage

Does soil thermal conductivity affect borehole thermal energy storage?

Core Ideas Borehole thermal energy storage is studied with a 3D transient fluid flow and heat transfer model. BTES heat extraction efficiency increases with decreasing soil thermal conductivity. BT...

How does soil thermal conductivity affect BTES efficiency?

BTES heat extraction efficiency increases with decreasing soil thermal conductivity. BTES efficiency decreases with convective heat losses associated with high soil permeability. Borehole thermal energy storage (BTES) in soils combined with solar thermal energy harvesting is a renewable energy system for the heating of buildings.

What is borehole thermal energy storage (BTES)?

Borehole thermal energy storage (BTES), which is also referred to as duct storage, has been successfully used for seasonal heat storage in a number of large solar systems. Some of these systems utilize a heat pump to upgrade the stored energy to the load temperature while others use the stored heat directly without upgrading.

Why are borehole thermal energy storage systems located in unsaturated zones?

Borehole thermal energy storage systems are probably located in unsaturated zones, in part to take advantage of the lower thermal conductivity with degree of saturation (Smits et al., 2013).

How do thermal energy storage systems work?

Some of these systems utilize a heat pump to upgrade the stored energy to the load temperature while others use the stored heat directly without upgrading. Borehole thermal energy storages have also been used for storing cold.

What is sensitive thermal energy storage?

Sensible thermal energy storage is a well-proven storage technique which has been employed long time ago in various thermal applications where water, rock and soil are common storage mediums .