Finite-element analysis of the fluid temperature distribution in double U-tube Borehole Heat Exchangers

In the evaluation of Thermal Response Tests (TRTs) and in the design of Borehole Heat Exchanger (BHE) fields, the mean temperature of the fluid Tm is usually approximated by the arithmetic mean Tave of inlet and outlet temperatures. This approximation can yield errors in the estimation of the thermal conductivity of the ground, of the BHE thermal resistance, and of the heat pump performance. An expression for the evaluation of Tm has been proposed by Marcotte and Pasquier (Marcotte D, Pasquier P 2008, Renewable Energy, 33 2407) for single U-tube BHEs. In this paper, the difference between Tm and Tave is determined by 3D finite- element simulations for a typical double U-tube BHE in 6 unsteady working conditions. The results are validated qualitatively through an approximate analytical method, and show that the expression proposed by Marcotte and Pasquier underestimates the difference between Tm and Tave when applied to a typical double U-tube BHE. Therefore, new relations to evaluate this difference for double U-tube BHEs would be useful.