Wärmeübergangswiderstand bei flächigen thermo-aktiven Bauteilen am Beispiel thermo-aktiver Abdichtungselemente

Thermal resistance for plane thermo-active geotechnical systems using the example of thermo-active seal-panels

The use of geothermal energy with thermo-active geothermal systems has been constantly increasing over the last years. There are examples for Energy-Piles, Energy-Diaphragm-Walls or Energy-Slabs documented. The chair of Geotechnical Engineering (RWTH Aachen University) has developed thermo-active seal panels, which are based on the principle of thermo-active structures made of concrete. The seal panels were tested in large-scale laboratory tests showing very satisfying results.
The realistic description of the heat transfer between soil and structural element is paramount for the design of a geothermal plant. Regarding rotationally symmetric systems there are several modeling tools. In contrast, there are no comparable models for plane elements documented. Therefore, the chair of Geotechnical Engineering, in cooperation with Geophysica Beratungsgesellschaft mbH, developed a mathematical model, which includes all important parameters. The different heat transfer processes are summed-up to a thermal resistance model, which is implemented in a Finite Difference Code (Shemat-Suite).