Thermal Diffusivity in the Subsoil: A Case Study in the Asturias (Northern Spain)

Abstract

This study presents a novel methodology for determining the apparent thermal diffusivity of subsoil in situ, employing two heat transfer models within the subsurface: one method is based on heat conduction caused by air temperature oscillations, while the other considers heat transmission via both conduction and convection due to groundwater flow. Differential equations were solved, and non-linear regression analysis was employed. This method has direct applications in various engineering and environmental domains, such as underground transmission lines, oil and gas pipelines, radioactive waste management, and geothermal systems, especially in the context of implementing horizontal geothermal collectors (HGC). The apparent thermal diffusivity value of 1.514 × 10−6 m2 s−1, within a 95% confidence interval spanning 1.512 × 10−6 m2 s−1 and 1.516 × 10−6 m2 s−1, was obtained from the section between 1.67 and 3.86 m depth in a research borehole located in Asturias, Northern Spain, using twenty-one temperature sensors. The method allowed for the calculation of the subsoil’s apparent thermal diffusivity up to a depth of 14.55 m.