Experimental investigation on the use of PCM heat exchangers in Geo-energy piles and walls
Elkezza, O. Alhawat, Musab M. Mohamed, Mostafa H.A. Khan, Amir
Elkezza, O.
Alhawat, Musab M.
Mohamed, Mostafa H.A.
Khan, Amir
Publication Date
2024-05
End of Embargo
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© 2024 Elsevier. Reproduced in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license.
Peer-Reviewed
Yes
Open Access status
embargoedAccess
Accepted for publication
2024-03
Institution
Department
Awarded
Embargo end date
2026-03-02
Additional title
Abstract
The current paper aims to experimentally investigate the thermal performance of geo-energy piles and walls fabricated with Phase Change heat exchangers. Four prototype concrete geo-energy structures (i.e., piles and walls) were tested using two distinct types of heat exchangers, including standard heat exchangers and PCM heat exchangers. The PCM heat exchangers utilized in the current study were filled up with two different types of Phase Change Materials (PCM) with melting points of 26 °C and 42 °C for geo-energy piles and walls, respectively. The thermal efficiency of the geo-energy piles/walls was experimentally assessed over 100 h of continuous operation under cycles of cooling and heating. The findings illustrated that using PCM heat exchangers led to enhancing the heat transfer efficiency of geo-energy piles by 75 % and 43 % in heating and cooling operations, respectively, compared to those achieved using a standard heat exchanger. Furthermore, the heat transfer performance of geo-energy walls with a PCM heat exchanger was enhanced by 43 % and 32 % in heating and cooling tests, respectively, compared to those achieved using a standard heat exchanger. Moreover, the findings indicated that the inclusion of PCM heat exchangers in geo-energy structures contributed to reducing: the impact on soil temperature and thermal interference radius as well as the potential structural damage due to thermal stress.
Version
Accepted manuscript
Citation
Elkezza O, Alhawat M, Mohamed M et al (2024) Experimental investigation on the use of PCM heat exchangers in Geo-energy piles and walls. Geothermics. 119: 102950.
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Article
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Notes
The full-text of this article will be released for public view at the end of the publisher embargo on 2 Mar 2026.