Geotechnical Analysis of Heat Exchanger Piles

There is currently a lack of established calculation methods for the geotechnical design of heat exchanger piles, although the technology is experiencing a fast expansion. Instead of quantifying the effects of temperature changes on the static behavior of heat exchanger piles, the common geotechnica...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering Vol. 137; no. 10; pp. 890 - 902
Main Authors Knellwolf, Christoph, Peron, Hervé, Laloui, Lyesse
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Reston, VA American Society of Civil Engineers 01.10.2011
Subjects
Applied sciences
Buildings. Public works
Computation methods. Tables. Charts
Earthwork. Foundations. Retaining walls
Exact sciences and technology
Geotechnics
Structural analysis. Stresses
TECHNICAL PAPERS
Switzerland
Europe
Thermal stress
Pile foundations
Cooling
Skin friction
In situ test
Temperature effect
Foundation design
Design
Numerical analysis
Heating
Temperature effects
Heat exchanger
Example
Charge transfer
Computing method
Geotechnics
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Summary:There is currently a lack of established calculation methods for the geotechnical design of heat exchanger piles, although the technology is experiencing a fast expansion. Instead of quantifying the effects of temperature changes on the static behavior of heat exchanger piles, the common geotechnical practice is to apply a large overall security factor. This is done to be on the side of safety with respect to thermal effects. The few existing in situ experiments show that applying a thermal load induces a significant change in the stress-strain state of a pile. This paper presents a geotechnical numerical analysis method based on the load-transfer approach that assesses the main effects of temperature changes on pile behavior. The method is validated on the basis of in situ measurements of the loads and deformations experienced by heat exchanger test piles. The occurrence of critical design situations is further discussed. Some conclusions are formulated on concrete failure and the full mobilization of the pile shaft friction and base resistance during the operation of the heat exchange system.
ISSN:1090-0241
1943-5606
DOI:10.1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-5606.0000513