This study presents a novel heat exchanger configuration, called a deeply penetrating U-shaped configuration, for energy piles. The outlet water temperature, temperature variation along the tube, and heat transfer rate are simulated and computed using Comsol Multiphysics software. The simulations are for the cooling mode. The proposed configuration is compared with traditional U-shaped and W-shaped configurations to prove its superiority. The thermal performance of the pile group is compared with that of a single pile to investigate the effects of the pile group on the heat transfer. A parametric analysis is performed to investigate the effects of several important parameters (i.e., pile spacing, pile diameter, soil type, and thermal parameters) on the heat transfer performance of an energy pile group with the proposed deeply penetrating U-shaped configuration. The results indicate that the corner pile indicates a nonnegligible heat transfer rate 6.8% and 9.9% higher than the central pile in quincuncial and squared arrangements. Purely from the standpoint of thermal performance, the pile spacing is recommended to be more than 6.8 times the pile diameter to reduce the influence of the pile group on the heat transfer capacity.
Ground source deicing system application in bridge decks is an alternative to salt use, which reduces corrosion and extends the deck service life. Herein, a preliminary parametric numerical analysis is performed to investigate the effects of several important parameters (tube spacing, inlet temperature, flow rate, and concrete cover) on heat transfer performance. Three evaluation indexes (average top surface temperature, snow melting proportion, and heat absorption power) are introduced, and a synthetic evaluation index is proposed to comprehensively consider factors. Mainly referring to the synthetic evaluation index, the optimal design scheme of a geothermally heated bridge deck system under various conditions (layout, lane number, ambient temperature, and tube spacing) is obtained and analyzed to determine the optimal inlet temperature and guide heated bridge deck design. Finally, the influence of wind speed and two adjustment methods are studied. The results indicate that the horizontal layout is the recommended circulating tube layout. The established empirical equations reveal that the optimal inlet temperature is linearly related to ambient temperature and exhibits a quadratic relationship with tube spacing. There is no need to add a heat insulation layer at the bridge deck bottom, and only tubes arranged near the wheels in lanes are recommended.
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