Heat transfer in ground heat exchangers with groundwater advection

In order to estimate the impact of groundwater flow on performance of geothermal heat exchangers in ground source heat pump systems, an equation of conduction-advection is established for heat transfer in porous media, and an analytical transient solution is obtained for a line beat source in an infinite medium by means of the Green function analysis. An explicit expression has also been derived of the mean temperature on circles around the heat source. Dimensionless criteria that dictate the process are summarized, and influence of the groundwater advection on the heat transfer is discussed accordingly. Computations show that water advection in the porous medium may alter significantly the conductive temperature distribution, result in lower temperature rises and lead to a steady condition eventually. The hydraulic and thermal properties of soils and rocks influencing the advection heat transfer are briefly summarized. The analytical solution has provided a theoretical basis and practical tool for design and performance simulation of the ground heat exchangers. (C) 2004 Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.