Application of energy tunnels to an urban environment

Barla, Marco; Donna, Alice Di; Perino, Andrea

doi:10.1016/j.geothermics.2016.01.014

Cited by 115 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…To provide hints and assist city planners, a parametric numerical study was performed by adopting the thermo-hydro mathematical formulation implemented in the finite-element software Feflow (Diersch, 2009), which proved to be effective in this respect (Barla et al, 2016).…”

Section: Set-up Of the Numerical Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The three-dimensional finite-element model used for the purpose of this paper is based on the analyses performed by Barla et al (2016) and assumes that the energy tunnel hydraulic plant is composed of a series of secondary circuits made of five rings of segmental lining connected in parallel. Each block of five rings is then connected to the main inlet and outlet conduits.…”

Section: Finite-element Model Geometry and Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Each block of five rings is then connected to the main inlet and outlet conduits. With reference to the case study of the south extension of Metro Torino line 1, Barla et al (2016) performed an optimisation analysis using different numerical models and concluded that a 3D model of one ring of tunnel lining would properly reproduce the thermohydro behaviour of the entire tunnel, reducing the complexity of the model with respect to solutions involving longer portions of tunnel. This assumption was reasonable in the case mentioned above, because the groundwater flow is perpendicular to the tunnel axis, so adjacent rings do not influence each other from a thermal point of view (Barla et al, 2016).…”

Section: Finite-element Model Geometry and Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To consider the influence of the air inside the tunnel, a 30-cm-thick limit layer was added inside the concrete lining -that is, a layer where the temperature varies from that of the tunnel lining to that measured inside the tunnel. The latter is known according to the monitoring data acquired in the Metro Torino tunnel from June 2010 to May 2011, as described by Barla et al (2016), and is imposed on the internal nodes of the air layer as a Cauchy boundary condition. Onedimensional discrete feature elements are used to simulate the pipes in the tunnel segmental lining.…”

Section: Environmental Geotechnicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several practical applications of this technology are already operational, particularly in Austria, Germany, the UK and Switzerland (Adam, 2008;Bourne-Webb, 2013;Brandl, 2006;Pahud, 2013;Riederer et al, 2007;SIA, 2005). A recently growing interest in the application of this technology to tunnel linings has resulted in several scientific works devoted to investigating the feasibility and efficiency of such systems Perino, 2014a, 2014b;Barla et al, 2016;Dupray et al, 2013;Franzius and Pralle, 2011;Lee et al, 2012;Markiewicz and Adam, 2009;Nicholson et al, 2013;Zhang et al, 2013). With respect to building foundations, energy tunnels have the advantage of involving a larger volume of ground and surface for heat exchange.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The role of ground conditions on energy tunnels’ heat exchange

Donna

Barla

2016

Environmental Geotechnics

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2Geotechnical structures are increasingly employed, in Europe as all around the world, to exchange heat with the ground and supply thermal energy for heating and cooling of buildings and de-icing of infrastructure. Most current practical applications are related to energy piles and retaining walls, but some examples of energy tunnels have been proposed recently. With respect to building foundations, tunnels involve a larger volume of ground and surface for heat exchange. When mechanised tunnelling is used, tunnel lining segments can be equipped and optimised for heat exchange by including hydraulic circuits into the concrete. This paper deals with the use of a tunnel segmental lining for exploiting heat. Thermo-hydro finite-element analyses able to capture the key aspects of the problem are performed to investigate the heat exchange of the system under different underground scenarios.In particular, the influence of ground properties (hydraulic and thermal conductivities) and ground conditions (groundwater temperature and flow velocity) are investigated and discussed. Parametric analyses are employed to define design charts useful for the preliminary quantification of exploitable heat and the assessment of the applicability to different ground conditions.

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Section: Set-up Of the Numerical Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Finite-element Model Geometry and Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Finite-element Model Geometry and Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Environmental Geotechnicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The role of ground conditions on energy tunnels’ heat exchange

Donna

Barla

2016

Environmental Geotechnics

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Tunnel geothermics – International experience with renewable energy concepts in tunnelling / Tunnelgeothermie – Internationale Erfahrungen zu regenerativen Energiekonzepten im Tunnelbau

Moormann

Buhmann

Friedemann³

et al. 2016

Geomechanics and Tunnelling

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Shallow geothermal energy now provides an essential contribution to the base load of heating energy. The thermal activation of tunnels is an interesting alternative and an economically appropriate supplement to the present hybrid systems in the field of ground engineering. An essential difference between the tunnel absorber and structures such as activated piles and diaphragm wall elements is the use of heat fluxes from the ground, as well as from the inside of the tunnel. Due to this circumstance, the tunnel absorber is assigned to the group of the duo-hybrid systems. The tunnel air temperature is essential for the heat flux inside the tunnel. Stuttgart-Fasanenhof and Jenbach are two geothermal tunnel plants which have been delivering dependable measurement data of the subsoil temperature, the tunnel lining temperature and the tunnel air temperature for four years. Based on the selected operation modes and case studies, the measurement results are analyzed and discussed. In addition, the possible geothermal potential of a geothermal tunnel system is introduced.

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Tunnelgeothermie – Ein Überblick

Stemmle

Menberg

Rybach

et al. 2022

Geomechanics and Tunnelling

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Tunnel geothermal systems hold the potential to promote decarbonization of the building heating and cooling sector. They can be integrated into existing infrastructure, resulting in low additional costs. In addition, these systems have large contact areas with the ground leading to larger heat fluxes. However, tunnel geothermics is relatively unknown and rarely used. Thus, the objective of this study is to provide an overview of the two primary tunnel geothermal system types as well as their application and potential. Open hydrothermal systems use the tunnel drainage water as a heat source, whereas closed absorber systems harness the heat flux from the subsoil and the warm tunnel interior via heat exchangers. The evaluation of the global application of existing and planned tunnel geothermal systems shows that all open systems are currently located in mountainous regions with a thick rock overburden. In contrast, closed absorber systems are mostly installed in urban tunnel infrastructures. The spatial distribution of geothermal tunnel systems has a focus in central Europe with Switzerland, Germany and Austria being the countries with the highest number of installed systems. Finally, this study also presents a brief summary of existing methods to determine the geothermal potential of tunnels.

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Application of energy tunnels to an urban environment

Cited by 115 publications

References 15 publications

The role of ground conditions on energy tunnels’ heat exchange

The role of ground conditions on energy tunnels’ heat exchange

Tunnel geothermics – International experience with renewable energy concepts in tunnelling / Tunnelgeothermie – Internationale Erfahrungen zu regenerativen Energiekonzepten im Tunnelbau

Tunnelgeothermie – Ein Überblick

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