Application of TPRTs (Thermal Performance/Response Tests) in a Saturated Porous Formation (LB-17-C039)

Thermal response tests (TRTs) are often conducted to inversely estimate the design parameters of borehole heat exchangers (BHEs); those are the effective thermal conductivity of ground and borehole thermal resistance. TRT can only provide the design parameters of a borehole heat exchanger, but it cannot provide the transient heat exchange rate of installed BHE which represents the actual performance of installed BHE. This paper proposes an estimation method of TPT that can provide both the thermal performance of BHEs and design parameters that usually obtained from TRT. Results showed that the performances of BHEs strongly depend on the inlet temperature. Additionally, transient heat exchange rates obtained from TPRTs provide valuable information on BHE performances that can be used for the design of BHEs.