Analysis of Enhanced Heat Transfer Characteristics of Coaxial Borehole Heat Exchanger

Abstract

Coaxial borehole heat exchangers provide a practical method for geothermal energy extraction, but heat transfer efficiency is low. In order to address this problem, three coaxial borehole heat exchangers with vortex generators, based on the enhanced heat transfer theory, are proposed in this paper. The author compared and analyzed the heat transfer performance of three coaxial borehole heat exchangers with vortex generators and those of traditional structures, which explains why the new heat exchanger’s heat transfer mechanism is enhanced. The results demonstrated that the vortex generator can enhance the fluid flow’s turbulent kinetic energy in the coaxial heat exchanger. This generator can also improve the mixing characteristics of the fluid flow and heat transfer. The resultant increase in the inlet flow velocity can decrease the friction coefficient f, increase the Nusselt number and strengthen the coaxial sleeve. As a result, the heat exchange performance of the tubular heat exchanger will also be improved. The thread vortex generator (TVG) heat exchanger outperforms the other three heat exchangers in terms of heat exchange performance, extraction temperature and heat extraction power. The results evidenced that the TVG heat exchanger is better than the smooth tube heat exchanger. The thermal performance coefficient PEC was improved by 1.1 times, and the extraction temperature and heating power were increased by 24.06% and 11.93%, respectively. A solid theoretical foundation is provided by the extracted outcomes for designing and selecting high-efficiency coaxial borehole heat exchangers suitable for geothermal energy extraction.