The design of ground-coupled heat pump systems requires knowledge of the thermal properties of the subsurface and boreholes. These properties can be measured with in situ thermal response tests (TRT), where a heat transfer fluid flowing in a ground heat exchanger is heated with an electric element and the resulting temperature perturbation is monitored. These tests are analogous to standard pumping tests conducted in hydrogeology, because a system that is initially assumed at equilibrium is perturbed and the response is monitored in time, to assess the system's properties with inverse modeling. Although pumping test analysis is a mature topic in hydrogeology, the current analysis of temperature measurements in the context of TRTs is comparatively a new topic and it could benefit from the application of concepts related to pumping tests. The purpose of this work is to review the methodology of TRTs and improve their analysis using pumping test concepts, such as the well function, the superposition principle, and the radius of influence. The improvements are demonstrated with three TRTs. The first test was conducted in unsaturated waste rock at an active mine and the other two tests aimed at evaluating the performance of thermally enhanced pipe installed in a fully saturated sedimentary rock formation. The concepts borrowed from pumping tests allowed the planning of the duration of the TRTs and the analysis of variable heat injection rate tests accounting for external heat transfer and temperature recovery, which reduces the uncertainty in the estimation of thermal properties.

Two methods are currently available to estimate in a relatively short time span the subsurface heat capacity: (1) laboratory analysis of rock/soil samples; (2) measure the heat diffusion with temperature sensors in an observation well. Since the first may not be representative of in-situ conditions, and the second imply economical and logistical issues, a third option might be possible by means of so-called oscillatory thermal response tests (OTRT). The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an OTRT as a tool to infer the subsurface heat capacity without the need of an observation well. To achieve this goal, an OTRT was carried out in a borehole heat exchanger (BHE). The total duration of injection was 6 days, with oscillation period of 12 h and amplitude of 10 W m−1. The results of the proposed methodology were compared 3-D numerical simulations and to a TRT with a constant heat injection rate with temperature response monitored from a nearby observation well. Results show that the OTRT succeeded to infer the expected subsurface heat capacity, but uncertainty is about 15% and the radial depth of penetration is only 12 cm. The parameters having most impact on the results are the subsurface thermal conductivity and the borehole thermal resistance. The OTRT performed and analyzed in this study also allowed to evaluate the thermal conductivity with similar accuracy compared to conventional TRTs (3%). On the other hand, it returned borehole thermal resistance with high uncertainty (15%), in particular due to the duration of the test. The final range of heat capacity is wide, highlighting challenges to currently use OTRT in the scope of ground-coupled heat pump system design. OTRT appears a promising tool to evaluate the heat capacity, but more field testing and mathematical interpretation of the sinusoidal response is needed to better isolate the subsurface from the BHE contribution and reduce the uncertainty.

Canada has enormous geothermal energy resources that could supply a renewable and clean source of power. There are many constraints, however, in utilizing this energy resource, including geological, technical, and regulatory issues. The intent of this report is to examine the geothermal potential in Canada, and the geological controls on the distribution of high grade resources as well as controls on the economic development and production of geothermal energy. This assessment is based on a new compilation and digitization of data produced through over 48 years of geothermal research in Canada. Recommendations on current and future research needs to reduce barriers to resource production are made at the end of the report. Currently Canada has no geothermal electrical production; however, direct use and heat exchange systems are used widely. Several projects are currently being examined by industry and government to develop electrical potential in Canada. A key economic constraint for these projects is the high risk of exploration due to costs of deep drilling. The cost of delivered geothermal power is projected to decline and be competitive with coal fired production within the next 15 years, given current levels of technology. Canada's in-place geothermal power exceeds one million times Canada's current electrical consumption (Fig. 1). However, only a fraction of this total potential could be developed. Much of the resource lies beyond current drilling technology, outside of areas served by high-capacity transmission lines, and at some distance from load centres. Nonetheless, the available high grade geothermal resource is considerable. High temperature hydrothermal systems can be brought on line with proven technology. Many of the tools required to bring geothermal energy to full realization, however, are not commercially proven to date and require further research and technology development. We can expect a strong learning curve and price response as geothermal energy is developed while other energy sources such as coal and nuclear will begin to see fleet and capacity retirements.

The construction of green buildings using geothermal energy requires knowledge of the ground thermal conductivity, assessed when designing the heating and cooling system of commercial buildings with ground-coupled heat pumps. The most commonly used method for active field assessment is the thermal response test (TRT), which consists of circulating heated water in a pilot ground heat exchanger (GHE) where temperature and flow rate are monitored. The transient thermal perturbation is analyzed to evaluate the subsurface thermal conductivity. Heat injection can also be performed with a heating cable in the GHE to conduct a TRT without water circulation, which can be affected by surface temperature variations. Mots-clés : géothermie, géothermique, géophysique thermique, pompe à chaleur, conductivité thermique, test de réponse thermique, échangeur de chaleur au sol.

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