Asphalt Heat Recovery Application for Sustainable Green Energy

Abstract

Increasing demand for energy due to comfort requirements in the built environment coupled with development of road networks and amplifying heat island effect call for a comprehensive approach that can answer both issues. The lifespan of an asphalt layer is affected by surface temperature. In this paper, we aim to study the feasibility of heat recovery and its effects in terms of energy harvesting efficiency and asphalt surface temperature by creating a numerical model and validating the model based on onsite measurements at laboratory scale. The experimental setup was developed at Technical University of Civil Engineering in Bucharest, and measurements were monitored during the summer. The heat recovery system used for this study was made of copper pipes, and material cost and layout optimization need to be addressed in future studies. The numerical model was validated using measured data. During this study, we obtained favorable results in terms of heat recovery, reducing surface temperature and selection of system materials. Further research is required for heat recovery system and pump automation (based on the surface temperature), in order to optimize energy consumption and improve overall efficiency.

A systematic review of heat recovery from roads for mitigating urban heat island effects: current state and future directions

“…Additional investigation is required to tackle the obstacles and restrictions of these technologies and investigate their prospective implementations in diverse urban settings. According to Dogeanu et al (2022a), there exists a temperature disparity of up to 10 °C between urban and rural regions, which can have unfavorable consequences on human health and overall welfare. These consequences include heat-related ailments and amplified energy usage for cooling purposes.…”

Numerical Simulation of Heat Recovery from Asphalt Pavement in Finnish Climate Conditions

“…Furthermore, high temperatures reached in summer have negative influence on the lifespan of asphalt layer [10]. Given the available thermal potential, many applications can be identified in which the thermal energy recovered from the asphalt layer can be used through Asphalt Mounted Solar Collectors [11]. The potential usage of Asphalt Mounted Solar Collectors is coupling with geothermal storage systems so that it can be used to defrost critical areas of highways or bridges [12] without using fossil fuels or chemically or mechanically aggressive materials for the asphalt layer.…”