Development of a numerical model for the simulation of vertical U-tube ground heat exchangers

Vertical U-tube ground heat exchangers are a key component in geothermal energy utilization systems like ground source heat pumps (GSHPs). This paper presents a three-dimensional unstructured finite volume model for them. The model uses Delaunay triangulation method to mesh the cross-section domain of the borefield (borehole field), and consequently may intactly retain the geometric structure in the borehole. To further improve the computational accuracy, the soil is divided into many layers in the vertical direction in order to account for the effect of changing fluid temperature with depth on the thermal process in the borefield. The inlet temperature of the ground heat exchanger (GHE) is used as a boundary condition, and the inside and outside surfaces of the U-tube pipes are treated as the conjugated interfaces in the domain. Thus, the conjugate thermal processes between the fluid in the pipes and the soil around it and between the two pipe legs may be accounted fully. A comparison of the model predictions and experimental data shows that the model has good prediction accuracy.