Evaluation of the thermo-mechanical behaviour of a heat exchanger pile under subtropical climate

• Grant number: 14/14496-0
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: October 01, 2014
• End date: March 31, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Civil Engineering - Geotechnical Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Cristina de Hollanda Cavalcanti Tsuha
• Grantee: Cristina de Hollanda Cavalcanti Tsuha
• Host Institution: Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos (EESC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Heraldo Luiz Giacheti ; Paulo José Rocha de Albuquerque ; Roger Augusto Rodrigues

Abstract

The use of shallow geothermal systems for heating and cooling Buildings has been successfully used in several countries. The use of geothermal systems installed with the foundations of civil structures, known as "heat exchanger piles" or "energy piles", is an innovative alternative that significantly reduces the operating costs of a building. The energy-efficient pile technology could be installed within the scope of the construction of any type of building whose load report requires the installation of deep foundations. These embedded structural elements, because of their depth, allow a large area of the ground to be used for thermal exchange. During construction, these elements are equipped with exchanging tubes which allow the transfer of thermal energy from the ground through a heat transfer fluid which circulates in a closed circuit. This system can be used both for heating and cooling the atmosphere, according to the season. The operation of this system is based in the fact that the temperature underground is constant throughout the year from a certain depth. Therefore, with the aim of evaluate this sustainable solution to reduce the high power consumption with air-conditioning systems in our country, this project aims to investigate experimentally the behaviour and efficiency of energy piles in a subtropical region. This project intends to evaluate the effect of the cyclical heat exchange on the load-displacement behaviour of a CFA (Continuous Flight Auger) pile, and the efficiency of an energy pile with most of its length installed in unsaturated tropical soil, typical the region of São Carlos, as the thermal conductivity varies with soil humidity. Therefore, it is expected that this research will contribute to the knowledge of the behaviour of this system in Brazil, as there are no studies about energy piles in Brazil. (AU)

Scientific publications

(7)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

MORAIS, T. S. O.; TSUHA, C. H. C.. Energy pile and ground temperature response to heating test: a case study in Brazil. BULGARIAN CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS, v. 48, n. E1, p. 115-119, 2016. (14/14496-0)

MURARI, MILENA CARDOSO DE FREITAS; TSUHA, CRISTINA DE HOLLANDA CAVALCANTI; LOVERIDGE, FLEUR. Investigation on the thermal response of steel pipe energy piles with different backfill materials. RENEWABLE ENERGY, v. 199, p. 18-pg., 2022-09-07. (14/14496-0)

PESSIN, JULIANA; TSUHA, CRISTINA DE HOLLANDA CAVALCANTI. In-field performance of continuous flight auger (CFA) energy piles with different configurations. APPLIED THERMAL ENGINEERING, v. 224, p. 15-pg., 2023-01-30. (14/14496-0)

MORAIS, T. S. O.; TSUHA, C. H. C.. Energy pile and ground temperature response to heating test: a case study in Brazil. BULGARIAN CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS, v. 48, p. 5-pg., 2016-01-01. (14/14496-0)

OLIVEIRA MORAIS, THAISE DA SILVA; CAVALCANTI TSUHA, CRISTINA DE HOLLANDA; BANDEIRA NETO, LUIS ANTONIO; SINGH, RAO MARTAND. Effects of seasonal variations on the thermal response of energy piles in an unsaturated Brazilian tropical soil. ENERGY AND BUILDINGS, v. 216, JUN 1 2020. (14/14496-0)

SANTOS SA, LETICIA MENEZES; NETO, ALBERTO HERNANDEZ; CAVALCANTI TSUHA, CRISTINA DE HOLLANDA; PESSIN, JULIANA; DE FREITAS, MILENA CARDOSO; OLIVEIRA MORAIS, THAISE DA SILVA. Thermal design of energy piles for a hotel building in subtropical climate: a case study in Sao Paulo, Brazil. SOILS AND ROCKS, v. 45, n. 1, p. 14-pg., 2022-01-01. (14/14496-0)

OLIVEIRA MORAIS, THAISE DA SILVA; SOUSA, JULIANA DONAIRE; CAVALCANTI TSUHA, CRISTINA DE HOLLANDA; LOPEZACOSTA, NP; MARTINEZHERNANDEZ, E; ESPINOSASANTIAGO, AL; MENDOZAPROMOTOR, JA; LOPEZ, AO. Measurement of Thermal Conductivity of Unsaturated Tropical Soils by a Needle Probe Method. GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING IN THE XXI CENTURY: LESSONS LEARNED AND FUTURE CHALLENGES, v. N/A, p. 9-pg., 2019-01-01. (14/14496-0)