Heat transfer model to predict temperature distribution in the ground

Abstract

Knowledge of the temperature of the ground in time and space aswell as its thermal properties gives basic information about physical phenomena concerning the transfer and accumulation of heat in the ground. It can be also used for evaluation of the heating possibilities of heat pumps; to proper design the size of the ground exchangers and the depth, at which they should be installed. For this purpose, a mathematical model based on the heat balance equation on the ground surface was developed. The basis of the model is the Carslaw-Jaeger equation regarding the temperature profile in the ground. The model was verified using experimental results for two different locations (different climatic conditions, moderate and arid climate)-the standard deviation is equal 0.62 K and 0.92 K, respectively. In this work, the impact of several parameters on the ground temperature profiles and thermal fluxes was determined. It was found that among the examined parameters the amplitude of the daily average solar radiation flux strongly effects on the total amount of heat transferred between the ground and the environment during the year, wherein the other parameters have a negligible effect.