Document Type

Thesis - University Access Only

Award Date

1994

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department / School

Mechanical Engineering

First Advisor

Charles Remund

Abstract

Heat exchanger configurations and backfills for Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) systems were surveyed and a representative group was chosen which included three heat exchanger geometries, three backfills and two backfill configurations. Three types of analyses, including steadystate, constant boundary condition transient, and pulsed boundary condition transient heat transfer from the pipes to the surrounding soil were performed using the finite element program ANSYS. The possibility of using insulation as a means to reduce thermal interaction and increase heat transfer rates was examined. The results of these models were compared by heat transfer rate per foot of trench and foot-of pipe, soil thermal resistance for the selected pipe geometries, and approximate cost per ton of cooling. Employing insulation proved ineffective. Utilizing higher thermal conductivity backfill resulted in higher heat transfer rates. No model proved better than the basic model on the basis of installation cost.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Heat exchangers -- Evaluation
Heat pumps
Heat -- Transmission
Soils -- Thermal properties

Format

application/pdf

Publisher

South Dakota State University

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Rights Statement

In Copyright