Simulation and experimental validation of a 400 m vertical CO heat pipe for geothermal application.

Geothermal heat pipes are an effective heat source for heat pumps used for space heating. Because the area for the installation of borehole heat exchangers is limited in urban areas (one site per borehole), the maximum heat extractable from one borehole shall rise. In cooperation with the FKW Hannover, the Institute for Thermodynamics of the Leibniz University of Hannover is investigating the thermodynamic behavior of CO driven geothermal heat pipes of higher thermal power. Therefore two different types of geothermal heat pipes with a length of 400 m each have been installed. Furthermore a numerical simulation of the heat and mass transfer within the pipes is under development. The experimental setup and first results of the experiments are presented as well as the current status of the numerical simulation. A comparison of the two different types of heat pipes and a comparison of the experimental data with the numerical simulation is given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]