Effective pipe-to-borehole thermal resistance for vertical ground heat exchangers

The effective pipe-to-borehole thermal resistance of a vertical ground heat exchanger is investigated numerically. An analysis is carried out to determine the dimensionless geometrical parameters affecting such resistance. The heat transfer rates between the U-shaped pipes and the borehole are determined numerically and compared with some well-known limiting analytical solutions. A best-fit correlation for the effective pipe-to-borehole thermal resistance is presented in dimensionless form. The results are compared against approximate analytical solutions that represent the U-shaped pipes as a single pipe of equivalent diameter and against experimental data available in the literature. It is found that the available models do not accurately represent the effective pipe-to-borehole thermal resistance.