Evaluation of Thermal Stability of Soils for Ground Source Heat Pump Application

The main objective of this research was to evaluate typical soils in terms of thermal stability through consideration of the thermal, physical and hydraulic (or water) properties of each soil. To achieve this objective, several sub-objectives were individually addressed: - Perform a theoretical analysis based on soil thermal, physical, and hydraulic (or water) properties that allows prediction of thermal instability. - Design and construct a thermal probe and test apparatus to subject soils to simulated GSHP heat exchanger operation. - Conduct thermal performance tests on selected soils and determine the effects of magnitude and length of applied thermal load, dry density and initial water content on the thermal performance of each soil. - Utilize the measured thermal performance data to verify the theoretical analysis