Investigation of heating potential and sustainability

of medium-deep borehole heat exchanger in severe

cold regions
Liangliang Guo (  guoliangliang@tyut.edu.cn )
Taiyuan University of Technology
Xufeng Li
Taiyuan University of Technology
Zihong Wang
Zhejiang Design Institute of Water Conservancy & Hydro-Electric Power co.,Ltd
Yue Ma
Taiyuan University of Technology
Jian Zhang
Taiyuan University of Technology
Haiyang Jiang
No.1 Institute of Geology and Mineral Resources of Shandong Province

Research Article

Keywords: Geothermal energy, borehole heat exchanger, heat transfer performance, sensitivity analysis,
cold region

Posted Date: March 22nd, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-2713296/v1

License:   This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Read Full License

Additional Declarations: No competing interests reported.

Investigation of heating potential and sustainability of medium-deep borehole heat exchanger in severe cold regions

Liangliang Guoa,*, Xufeng Lia, Zihong Wangb, Yue Maa, Jian Zhanga, Haiyang Jiangc
a College of Water Resources Science and Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
b Zhejiang Design Institute of Water Conservancy & Hydro-Electric Power co.,Ltd, Hangzhou 310002, China
c No.1 Institute of Geology and Mineral Resources of Shandong Province, Jinan 250014, China

Abstract: Medium-deep buried pipe heat transfer technology is a way to develop medium-deep geothermal energy by

"taking heat without water". Using OpenGeoSys (OGS) software, a comprehensive numerical model of medium-deep

buried pipe heat transfer is established using a dual-continuum medium approach and combined with actual engineering

data. On this basis, the heat transfer performance and its applicability in the harsh cold region of northern China are inves-

tigated. Meanwhile, a sensitivity analysis study on its heat transfer influencing factors and sustainability was conducted.

The results of the study show that the medium-deep buried pipe heat transfer technology has excellent heat transfer per-

formance and good applicability and sustainability in the cold region of northern China. The heat transfer performance of

buried pipes can be improved by arranging buried pipes in high quality geothermal areas and increasing the flow rate of

circulating water, increasing the depth of buried pipes, choosing larger thermal conductivity of inner pipes and backfill

materials, etc.; higher circulating water inlet temperature, larger inner and outer pipe diameter ratio and thermal conduc-

tivity of inner pipes will reduce the heat transfer effect.

Keywords: Geothermal energy; borehole heat exchanger; heat transfer performance; sensitivity analysis; cold region

1 Introduction

As a kind of clean and renewable energy, the development and utilization of geothermal energy is receiving more and

more attention worldwide when low-carbon emission reduction is advocated (Soltani M, Kashkooli F, Souri M, et al.

(2021) Environmental, economic, and social impacts of geothermal energy systems. Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews

140:110750.. Facing the pressure of energy shortage and climate change, in order to achieve sustainable development, every

country is constantly exploring, developing and utilizing clean energy. The research shows that geothermal energy is abun-

dant in reserves and has gradually become the focus of new energy development and utilization (Islam M T, Nabi M N,

Arefin M A, et al. (2022) Trends and prospects of geothermal energy as an alternative source of power: A comprehensive review. Heliyon

8(12):e11836.. China’s geothermal resources are rich, accounting for about one-sixth of the global total, but, its proved

resources rate and utilization level of the resources are still low. Its exploitation and utilization of geothermal resources are

still need to be improved (Huan Z, Wei M, Fang Z, et al. (2020) Study on the exploitation, utilization and cooperation of geothermal
energy between Iceland and China. IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science 480(1):012010.Zhu J L, Hu K Y, Lu X L, et al.

(2015) A review of geothermal energy resources, development, and applications in China: current status and prospects. Energy 93:466-483..

As a new technology for extracting geothermal energy, the medium-deep buried pipe heat exchange technology has the

advantages of large heat exchange in a single well and low impact on geological environment (Zhang Z L, Zhang H J, Xie

B, et al. (2022) Energy scheduling optimization of the integrated energy system with ground source heat pumps. Journal of Cleaner Production

365:132758. Huang Y B, Zhang Y J, Xie Y Y, et al. (2021) Long-term thermal performance analysis of deep coaxial borehole heat exchanger

based on field test. Journal of Cleaner Production 278:123396.). Also, it has unique advantages in seasonal heat storage (Hirvijoki

E, Hirvonen J. (2022) The potential of intermediate-to-deep geothermal boreholes for seasonal storage of district heat. Renewable Energy

198:825-832. Mielke P, Bauer D, Homuth S, et al. (2014) Thermal effect of a borehole thermal energy store on the subsurface. Geothermal

Energy 2(1):2-5.). Therefore, more and more scholars focus on the research of this technology, and the core and difficulty of

this technology lies in the heat transfer research of buried tube heat exchanger (Beier R A, Acuna J, Mogensen P, et al. (2014)

Transient heat transfer in a coaxial borehole heat exchanger. Geothermics 51:470-482. Huang S, Zhu K, Dong J K, et al. (2022) Heat trans-

fer performance of deep borehole heat exchanger with different operation modes. R-enewable Energy 193:645-656.).

Nomenclatur
Ts temperature of surrounding rock and soil mass
Ti temperatures of the inflow fluid
To temperatures of the outflow fluid
Tg temperatures of the backfill grout
cs specific heat capacity of rock and soil mass
ρs density of rock and soil mass
e porosity of rock and soil mass
cf specific heat capacity of groundwater [J/(kg·K)]
ρf density of groundwater (kg/m³)
vf Darcy flow velocity of groundwater (m/s)
Λs hydrodynamic thermal dispersion tensor (m²/s)
Hs source-sink term of heat generation or consumption (J)
▽ Hamiltonian operator
t time (s)
r circulating fluid
λr thermal conductivity of circulating fluid [W/(m·K)]
ρr density of circulating fluid (kg/m³)
cr specific heat capacity of circulating fluid [J/(kg·K)]
βL longitudinal thermal dispersion coefficient (m²/s)
Ι unit matrix
Φfig thermal resistance between inflow fluid and backfill grout (m²·K/W)
Φff thermal resistance between inflow fluid and outflow fluid (m²·K/W)
Φgs thermal resistance between backfill grout and surrounding rock and soil (m²·K/W)
 In order to better study the heat transfer process of buried tube heat exchanger, some scholars focus on the establish-

ment of the analytical solution model of buried tube heat exchanger, mainly proposed the line source model and the infi-

nitely long cylindrical surface source model. The above models are simple and convenient. However, the model is too

simplified, and it is generally assumed that the subsurface rock and soil mass is uniform and there is no ground temperature

gradient, which is more realistic in the shallow buried pipe heat exchanger, but the error is larger in the middle and deep

buried pipe heat exchanger. To make the model more accurate, Beier et al. (Beier R A, Acuna J, Mogensen P, et al. (2014) Transient

heat transfer in a coaxial borehole heat exchanger. Geothermics 51:470-482.) proposed a transient analytical solution model consid-

ering vertical temperature distribution. This model is able to calculate the transient changes of pipe and surrounding soil

temperatures inside the buried pipe heat exchanger, but it requires the assumption of constant heat transfer power and has

limitations in application. In addition to the above analytical solution model, most scholars use numerical simulation to

study the heat transfer process of buried pipe heat exchangers. For the numerical simulation of medium and deep buried

tube heat exchangers, the finite difference method (Guo L L, Zhang J, Li Y R, et al. (2021) Experimental and numerical investigation

of the influence of groundwater flow on the borehole heat exchanger performance: a case study from Tangshan, China. Energy & Buildings

248:111199.), the finite volume method (Deng J W, Wei Q P, He S, et al. (2020) Simulation analysis on the heat performance of deep

borehole heat exchangers in medium-depth geothermal heat pump systems. Energies 13(3):754.) and the finite element method (Zhang

Y Q, Yu C, Li G S, et al. (2019) Performance analysis of a downhole coaxial heat exchanger geothermal system with various working fluids.

Applied Thermal Engineering 163:114317.) can generally be used. In this process, some researchers have also used the dual

continuum media method to study the heat transfer performance of the medium-deep buried tube heat exchanger. The dual

continuum media method is a type of finite element model, which has obvious advantages over the traditionally used finite

element numerical solution methods and can effectively reduce the intensity of numerical calculations. Kong et al. (Kong

Y L, Chen C F, Shao H B, et al. (2017) Principle of deep well heat exchange technology and its heat exchange evaluation. Journal of Geophysics

60(12):4741-4752.) adopted Beier's analytical method and the dual continuum media method to compare and analyze the

upper limit value of heat transfer per meter is 150 W for a single well. Due to the lack of engineering data, the values of

physical parameters selected in their model deviated from the actual values, especially the thermal conductivity of the

outer tube. Aliyu et al. (Aliyu M D, Chen H P. (2017) Sensitivity analysis of deep geothermal reservoir: Effect of reservoir parameters on

production temperature. Energy 129:101–113.) concluded that lower inlet temperature of medium and deep heat exchanger is

beneficial to extract more geothermal energy but it also makes the outlet temperature lower. Liu et al. (Liu J, Wang F H, Cai

W L, et al. (2019) Numerical study on the effects of design parameters on the heat transfer performance of coaxial deep borehole heat exchanger.

International Journal Of Energy Research 43:6337-6352.) concluded that increasing outer pipe diameter or reducing inner pipe

diameter can improve heat transfer rate of medium and deep heat exchanger. Geological parameters also affect the thermal

extraction of medium and deep heat exchanger (Caulk R A, Tomac I. (2017) Reuse of abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal

energy production. Renewable Energy 112:388-397.), Liu (Liu J, Wang F H, Cai W L, et al. (2020) Numerical investigation on the effects of
geological parameters and layered subsurface on the thermal performance of medium-deep borehole heat exchanger. Renewable Energy

149:384–399.) and Lous (Le Lous M, Larroque F, Dupuy A, et al. (2015) Thermal performance of a deep borehole heat exchanger: Insights

from a synthetic coupled heat and flow model. Geothermics 57:157-172.) et al. emphasized the influence of geothermal gradient and

rock-soil thermal conductivity. The above conclusions were carried out based on the scenario with constant inlet tempera-

ture of medium and deep heat exchanger. However, the inlet temperature generally depends on the outlet temperature of

medium and deep heat exchanger and the evaporator cooling power of heat pump unit. Thus, the scenario with a constant

heat transfer rate is more practical. Pan (Pan S, Kong Y L, Chen C F, et al. (2020) Optimization of the utilization of deep borehole heat

exchangers. Geothermal Energy 8(2): 1012-1029.) and Fang (Fang L, Diao N R, Shao Z K, et al. (2018) A computationally efficient numer-

ical model for heat transfer simulation of deep borehole heat exchangers. Energy Build 167:79–88.) et al. analyzed the effects of pipe

diameters, fluid flow rate, geological parameters under the constant heat transfer rate. Huang et al. (Huang Y B, Zhang Y J,

Xie Y Y, et al. (2020) Thermal performance analysis on the composition attributes of deep coaxial borehole heat exchanger for building heating.

Energy & Buildings 221:110019.) combined both field tests and numerical simulations to study the effects of tube diameter,

grouting, tube length and other factors on the heat transfer performance of heat exchangers. However, their simulation run

time is short, with a simulation period of only 60 d, which has a large gap with the actual heating time in cold regions.

Chen et al. (Chen C F, Shao H B, Naumov D, et al. (2019) Numerical investigation on the performance, sustainability, and efficiency of the

deep borehole heat exchanger system for building heating. Geothermal Energy 7(1):1-26.) used OpenGeoSys (OGS) software to inte-

grate a numerical model of a deep-bore heat exchanger with a heat pump. However, their long-term simulation used a

constant heat extraction power, which does not match the actual situation.

In summary, due to the lack of detailed field measurements, there are problems in previous studies such as deviation

of model parameters from the actual values, insufficient simulation operation time and boundary condition settings from

the actual situation, resulting in insufficient credibility of the research conclusions. In this paper, the open-source software

OGS is used as a platform to construct the heat transfer model of the medium-deep buried tube heat exchanger by using

the double continuum media method. The method can achieve fixed temperature boundary conditions instead of fixed heat

extraction power boundary conditions, which is more consistent with the actual engineering situation where only the fluid

temperature at the water injection end is known (Brown C S, Kolo I, Falcone G, et al. (2023) Investigating scalability of deep borehole

heat exchangers: Numerical modelling of arrays with varied modes of operation. Renewable Energy 202:442-452. Cai W L, Wang F H, Chen

S, et al. (2021) Analysis of heat extraction performance and long-term sustainability for multiple deep borehole heat exchanger array: A project-

based study. Applied Energy 289:116590.). At the same time, the model parameters are set with reference to the actual infor-

mation of a medium-deep buried pipe heat exchange project. On this basis, the heat transfer performance and its applica-

bility of the medium-deep buried pipe heat transfer technology in the complete heating period in the severe cold region of

northern China are studied, and a series of operating conditions are designed to study the effects of various factors such as
inlet flow rate, inlet temperature, geotechnical thermal conductivity, backfill material thermal conductivity, ground tem-

perature gradient, buried pipe depth, pipe diameter, internal and external pipe thermal conductivity on the heat transfer

performance of the medium-deep buried pipe heat exchanger. Finally, using the above research results, the sustainability

of long-term operation of medium-deep buried tube heat exchanger in severe cold regions is studied by selecting the opti-

mal combination of parameters (Wang X Y, Zhou C H, Ni L. (2022) Experimental investigation on heat extraction performance of

deep borehole heat exchanger for ground source heat pump systems in severe cold region. Geothermics 105:102539. Gheysari A F, Hollander

H M, Maghoul P, et al. (2021) Sustainability, climate resiliency, and mitigation capacity of geothermal h-eat pump systems in cold regions.

Geothermics 91:101979.).

2 Numerical modeling

2.1 Conceptual Model

Medium-deep buried pipe heat exchange technology is a geothermal energy extraction technology that brings heat

from underground rock and soil mass to the surface for heating by circulating water in vertical buried pipes to exchange

heat with the underground rock and soil mass. This technology differs from the shallow buried pipe heat exchange tech-

nology in that the buried pipes generally use cased vertical buried pipes instead of the traditional U-shaped buried pipes

(Xu Y S, Wang X W, Shen S L, et al. (2020) Distribution characteristics and utilization of shallow geothermal energy in China. Energy and

Buildings 229:110479.; Deng J W, Wei Q P, Liang M, et al. (2019) Field test on energy performance of medium-depth geothermal heat pump

systems (MD-GHPs). Energy and Buildings 184:289-299.). Considering the heat exchange efficiency, the general flow mode of

circulating water is external inward and internal outward (Holmberg H, Acuna J, Nass E, et al. (2016) Thermal evaluation of

coaxial deep borehole heat exchangers. Renewable Energy 97:65-76.) , that is, the circulating water is injected from the outer tube

of the casing, and in the process of circulating water descending, it exchanges heat with the surrounding rock and soil mass,

and the water temperature is gradually heated, and the water temperature is heated to the highest at the bottom of the casing,

and then, under the action of circulating water pump, it flows upward from the inner tube of the casing (Brown C S, Cassidy

N J, Egan S S, et al. (2021) Numerical modelling of deep coaxial borehole heat exchangers in the Cheshire Basin, UK. Computers & Geosci-

ences 152:104752. Renaud T, Verdin P, Falcone G. (2019) Numerical simulation of a Deep Borehole Heat Exchanger in the Krafla geother-

mal system. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer 143:118496. Luo Y Q, Guo H S, Meggers F, et al. (2019) Deep coaxial borehole

heat exchanger: Analytical modeling and thermal analysis. Energy 185:1298-1313.). The schematic diagram of heat exchange process

of medium and deep buried pipe heat exchange technology is shown in Fig.1.
 Fig.1 Middle-deep vertical buried pipe heat exchange system

(a) Casing section view; (b) Cross section of casing

2.2 Mathematical model

In the open source software OGS, the modeling of the medium-deep buried pipe heat exchanger is based on the dual

continuum media method proposed by Diersch et al. (Diersch H, Bauer D, Heidemann W, et al. (2011) Finite element modeling of

borehole heat exchanger systems: part 1. Fundamentals. Comput Geosci 37(8):1122-1135.) This method is used to simulate the heat

transfer process during the operation of the medium-deep buried tube heat exchanger. When modeling, the surrounding

rock and soil mass and the heat exchanger in the borehole are regarded as two mutually coupled continuous media, respec-

tively. For the surrounding rock and soil mass, a three-dimensional prismatic element is used for discretization; for the

pipe and backfill grout in the borehole heat exchanger, a one-dimensional line unit is used for discretization. The mathe-

matical model of the dual continuum media method is described below.

The temperature Ts of rock and soil mass around the buried pipe heat exchanger is influenced by heat convection and

heat conduction, under the action of the specific heat capacity of rock and soil mass cs , the density of rock and soil mass

ρs and the porosity of rock and soil mass e and groundwater, the governing equation is as follows:
 
ef cf + (1 − e) scs Ts +
t (1)
  ( f cf v f Ts ) −   (  s Ts ) = H s

Where , cf - specific heat capacity of groundwater, J/(kg·K); ρf - density of groundwater, kg/m³; vf - Darcy velocity

of groundwater, m/s; Λs - hydrodynamic thermal dispersion tensor , m²/s ; Hs - source-sink term of heat generation or

consumption, J; ▽- Hamiltonian operator; t - time, s.

Since there is heat exchange between the surrounding rock and soil mass and the buried tube heat exchanger, the

boundary conditions for the above control equation are as follows.

− ( s Ts ) = qnTs (2)

For the coaxial casing heat exchanger, the heat transfer process in the pipe is mainly controlled by the thermal con-

vection of the circulating fluid r with the flow velocity vi. where Ti , To and Tg represent the temperatures of the inflow

fluid, outflow fluid and backfill grout, respectively. For the outer pipe with external inlet and internal outlet fluid flow, the

control equation is

Ti
 r cr +  r cr v i Ti −
t (3)
  (  r Ti ) = H i in i

Its Cauchy-type boundary conditions are

qnTi = − fig (Ts − Ti ) −  ff (To − Ti ) on i (4)

The inner tube control equation is given by

To
 r cr +  r cr v o To −
t (5)
  (  r To ) = H o in  o

Its Cauchy-type boundary conditions are

qnTo = − ff (Ti − To ) on  o (6)

where the hydrodynamic thermal dispersion tensor can be written as the following equation.

 r = ( r +  r cr  L vr ) I (7)

Where λr - thermal conductivity of circulating fluid, W/(m·K); ρr - density of circulating fluid, kg/m³, cr - specific heat
capacity of circulating fluid, J/(kg·K); βL - longitudinal thermal dispersion coefficient, m²/s; Ι - unit matrix.

For the backfill grouting area around the outer pipe, assuming that its heat transfer process is controlled only by its

internal heat conduction, and considering its poor permeability, its thermal convection process is neglected and considered

to be controlled only by internal heat conduction, and its control equation is

Ts
(1 − e )  c
g g g
t
−   (1 − eg ) g Tg 
(8)
= H g in g

Its Cauchy-type boundary conditions are

qnTg = − gs (Ts − Tg ) −  fig (Ti − Tg ) on  g (9)

In the heat exchange term, Φfig - thermal resistance between inflow fluid and backfill grout, m²·K/W; Φff - thermal

resistance between inflow fluid and outflow fluid, m²·K/W; Φgs - thermal resistance between backfill grout and surrounding

rock and soil, m²·K/W. See Diersch et al. (Diersch H, Bauer D, Heidemann W, et al. (2011) Finite element modeling of borehole heat

exchanger systems: part 1. Fundamentals. Comput Geosci 37(8):1122-1135.) article for detailed calculations of all heat exchange

coefficients.

3 Simulation of heat transfer performance of medium and deep buried pipes in severe cold regions

In order to accurately simulate the heat transfer performance and applicability of the medium-deep buried pipe heat

transfer technology in the cold region of northern China, a simulated operating condition of continuous heating for 4

months (120d) was constructed using the above model. In order to make the simulation as close as possible to the actual

situation, the parameters of model are set with reference to the measured values of a medium-deep buried pipe heat ex-

change project in Jilin Province, China (Huang Y B, Zhang Y J, Xie Y Y, et al. (2020) Thermal performance analysis on the compo-

sition attributes of deep coaxial borehole heat exchanger for building heating. Energy & Buildings 221:110019.) , see Table 1. In the actual

operation, the top of the model is set to the constant temperature boundary, the local average temperature of the project for

many years is 3.6℃, the flow direction is external inlet and internal outlet, and the circulation flow rate is 30m³/h. Mean-

while, is set to the constant inlet water temperature boundary condition (4℃).

Table 1 Model parameter settings.

 Parameters Symbols Numerical value Unit

Drilling depth 𝐿 2000 m

Drill hole bottom temperature 𝑇𝑏 105.03 ℃

Drill hole diameter 2𝑟𝑏 215.9 mm

Inner radius of inner tube 𝑟𝑖𝑖 42.7 mm

Inner radius of outer tube 𝑟𝑖𝑜 55 mm

Outer radius of outer tube 𝑟𝑜𝑜 88.9 mm

Inner radius of outer tube 𝑟𝑜𝑖 80.9 mm

Grout wall thickness 𝑡𝑔 19.05 mm

Thermal conductivity of inner tube 𝜆𝑖 0.1 W·(m·K)-1

Thermal conductivity of outer tube 𝜆𝑜 40 W·(m·K)-1

Thermal conductivity of grouting 𝜆𝑔 0.73 W·(m·K)-1

Specific heat capacity of grout volume 𝜌𝑔 𝑐𝑔 3.8×106 J·(m³·K)-1

Equivalent thermal conductivity of strata 𝜆𝑠 2.5 W·(m·K)-1

Equivalent volumetric specific heat capacity of the

𝜌𝑠 𝑐𝑠 2×106 J·(m³·K)-1
stratum

Thermal conductivity of water 𝜆𝑓 0.58 W·(m·K)-1

Specific heat capacity of water by volume 𝜌𝑓 𝑐𝑓 4.217×106 J·(m³·K)-1

Under the above simulated conditions, after 120 d of continuous heat extraction, the temperature variation curve of

the outlet temperature of the medium-deep buried tube heat exchanger with time (Fig. 2), as well as the model vertical

temperature distribution curve (Fig. 3) were obtained. As can be seen from Fig. 2, the outlet temperature of the medium-

deep buried tube heat exchanger showed a general trend of gradual decrease with time. Specifically, at the beginning of

operation, its outlet temperature showed a rapid decreasing trend, followed by a slow decrease and finally stabilized. The

main reason is that the internal circulation of water in the buried pipe heat exchanger draws heat from the surrounding rock

and soil mass, resulting in a decrease in the temperature of the surrounding rock and soil mass, and the temperature differ-

ence between the two becomes smaller, reducing the heat transfer strength, so the outlet temperature will gradually show

a decreasing trend over time. When operating for a period of time, the heat exchanger and the surrounding rock and soil

mass heat exchange is basically in a stable state, and its temperature change trend also basically tends to stabilize. Under

the above parameter setting, after 120d continuous operation, the outlet water temperature is basically stable at 13.1℃, the

temperature difference between import and export is 9.1℃, the heat exchange of single well is 321kW, and the heat transfer

per meter is 160.5 W for a single well. Compared with the heat exchange of linear meter of shallow buried pipe of 30~50W,

it can be said that the heat exchange technology of middle and deep buried pipe has better heat exchange performance in
the cold area of northern China, and the short-term heating applicability is stronger.

Fig. 2 The outlet temperature changes with time during 120 days of continuous operation

As can be seen from Fig. 3, after 120 d of model operation, the water temperature of its vertical inlet pipe increases

gradually with depth, while the water temperature of the outlet pipe decreases continuously with the upward running pro-

cess. The main reason for the above phenomenon is that the circulating water flow is injected from the outer pipe, and

during the downward running process, it will continuously absorb heat from the surrounding rock and soil mass, making

its temperature rise continuously and reach the highest temperature when it reaches the bottom of the heat exchanger. It is

worth noting that in this process, the water temperature increase is also increased with the depth, indicating that the deep

heat exchange effect is better. When the circulating water flow under the action of the pump, from the inner tube upward

movement process, because the inner tube is not completely adiabatic, the inner and outer tube water flow will occur heat

exchange, resulting in the discharge pipe water temperature will continue to drop, and, the closer to the upper, because the

temperature difference between the inner and outer tube circulating water flow, the more obvious its heat exchange, the

inner tube water temperature drop is also faster. Under the above parameter setting, the highest temperature of circulating

water at 2000m depth is 14.75℃, while the temperature of outlet water is 13.13℃, the temperature difference is 1.62℃,

and the heat loss is 11%. And this part of heat exchange is a loss for the heat exchange system, the size of the loss depends

on the inner tube thermal conductivity. Therefore, in the actual project, the pipe with good heat insulation effect should be

chosen to avoid this part of heat loss as much as possible.

 Fig. 3 Vertical temperature distribution of the model after continuous operation for 120 days

4 Analysis of influencing factors

There are many factors that affect the heat transfer performance of medium and deep buried pipes, which can be

basically divided into three parts: operating conditions, external factors, and internal factors. Operating conditions mainly

include circulating water flow rate and inlet temperature. External factors mainly refer to the geothermal geological con-

ditions of the project site, such as geotechnical thermal conductivity, ground temperature gradient, etc. Internal factors

mainly refer to the heat exchanger related materials and structural characteristics, such as backfill material thermal con-

ductivity, internal and external pipe thermal conductivity, buried pipe depth, pipe diameter, etc. The above three types of

influencing factors are analyzed.

4.1 Operating conditions

4.1.1 Flow rate

The existing actual project, the value of the flow rate is basically in between 24 ~ 28m³/h, see Table 2. Now we choose

the circulation flow rate of the medium-deep buried tube heat exchanger as the research object, its research scope should

include the actual project flow rate range, respectively, to take 20, 25, 30, 35, 40m³/h, other parameters as above unchanged,

to obtain the medium-deep buried tube heat exchanger outlet water temperature and heat transfer with flow rate changes

as shown in Fig. 4.

As can be seen from Fig. 4, the higher the circulation flow rate of the medium and deep buried tube heat exchanger,
the lower the outlet temperature, but the higher the heat exchange, with the other parameters remaining unchanged. In the

process of increasing the circulation flow rate from 20m³/h to 40m³/h, the outlet temperature decreases from 16.94℃ to

10.99℃, but the heat exchange amount increases from 303.14kW to 327.51kW. This is due to the fact that the heat ex-

change between the circulating water in the outer tube and the surrounding rock and soil mass is more intense when the

circulation flow rate increases, and the total heat obtained by the circulating water from the surrounding rock and soil mass

increases per unit time. However, after the flow rate increases, the heat exchange time between the circulating water in the

tube and the surrounding rock and soil mass becomes shorter, and the heat obtained per unit volume of water decreases,

resulting in a corresponding decrease in the export water temperature. In actual engineering, the change of circulating flow

rate, on the one hand, affect the power consumption of the pump; on the other hand, it will affect the inlet water temperature

of the heat pump unit, and then affect the performance of the heat pump unit. Therefore, the value of circulating water flow

rate should be considered comprehensively in terms of heat exchange, pump power consumption and heat pump unit

performance. In the case of meeting the requirements of the power consumption of the pump and the performance of the

heat pump unit, the circulating water flow rate can be increased appropriately to obtain a greater heat exchange.

Table2 Actual project flow rate value

Projects Project 1 Project 2 Project 3 Project 4

Flow rate (m³·h-1 ) 28 26.34 24 28

Fig. 4 The changing of outlet water temperature and heat exchange along with the flow rate
4.1.2 Inlet water temperature

The inlet water temperature of the medium-deep buried tube heat exchanger was selected as the research object, and

0, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20 and 24℃ were taken, and other parameters were kept unchanged, and the outlet water temperature and

heat exchange of the medium-deep buried tube heat exchanger with the inlet water temperature were obtained as shown in

Fig. 5.

Fig. 5 The changing of outlet water temperature and heat exchange along with the inlet water temperature

As can be seen from Fig. 5, the higher the inlet water temperature, the higher the outlet water temperature, but the

smaller the heat exchange rate, for the medium-deep buried tube heat exchanger with other parameters unchanged. The

inlet water temperature increases from 0℃ to 24℃, the outlet temperature increases from 9.84℃ to 29.61℃, but the heat

exchange amount decreases from 345.75kW to 196.99kW. This is mainly because, the lower the inlet water temperature,

the greater the temperature difference between the circulating water flow in the heat exchanger and the surrounding rock

and soil mass, the stronger the heat transfer dynamics, the greater the heat exchange rate. In actual engineering, a large

temperature difference operation mode is generally recommended for the geothermal side. On the one hand, the large

temperature difference can make the return water temperature from the heat pump unit into the middle and deep buried

pipe heat exchanger lower, increasing the temperature difference between the circulating water and the surrounding rock

and soil mass and improving the heat exchange; on the other hand, under the same heat exchange, the lower inlet water

temperature can reduce the circulating water flow rate and achieve the effect of reducing the power consumption of pump
transmission and distribution, improving the energy-saving effect. Therefore, under the comprehensive consideration of

the inlet water temperature requirement of the heat pump unit, a lower inlet water temperature is adopted as far as possible

to improve the heat exchange.

4.2 External factors

4.2.1 Geotechnical thermal conductivity

The thermal conductivity of dense clay, dry shale, limestone, sandstone and granite a series of typical rock as the

object of study, the thermal conductivity taken as 1.4, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5W/(m·K), other parameters remain unchanged, ob-

tained the medium and deep buried pipe heat exchanger outlet water temperature and heat exchange with the variation of

the thermal conductivity of rock and soil as shown in Fig. 6.

As can be seen from Fig. 6, the greater the geotechnical thermal conductivity in the area where the medium-deep

buried pipe heat exchanger is located, the higher the heat exchanger outlet temperature and the greater the heat transfer

rate, with other parameters remaining unchanged. The thermal conductivity of the rocky soil increases from 1.4W/(m·K)

to 3.5W/(m·K), the heat exchanger outlet temperature increases from 9.84℃ to 15.67℃, and the heat exchange quantity

also increases from 205.24kW to 410.27kW. This is because the thermal conductivity of different rock and soil mass is

different, and the larger the thermal conductivity of the rock and soil mass, the heat from the corresponding surrounding

rock and soil mass will be better absorbed by the circulating water flow. Therefore, in the actual project, the preliminary

geotechnical thermal property survey work becomes very important, and try to set the medium-deep buried pipe heat

exchanger in the area with larger geotechnical thermal conductivity to improve the heat transfer capacity of the medium-

deep buried pipe heat exchanger.

 Fig.6 The changing of outlet water temperature and heat exchange along with the geotechnical thermal conductivity

4.2.2 Ground temperature gradient

A series of ground temperature gradients were selected as the study objects, and 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5,

5.0℃/100m were taken respectively, and other parameters were kept constant, and the variation of water temperature and

heat exchange with ground temperature gradient at the outlet of the medium-deep buried tube heat exchanger was obtained

as shown in Fig. 7.

As can be seen from Fig. 7, the higher the ground temperature gradient in the area where the medium-deep buried

tube heat exchanger is located, the higher the heat exchanger outlet temperature and the higher the heat transfer rate, with

other parameters remaining unchanged. In the process of the geothermal gradient increasing from 1.5℃/100m to 5℃/100m,

the outlet temperature of the heat exchanger increases from 6.66℃ to 13.01℃, and the heat transfer also increases from

93.35kW to 316.49kW. This is because the larger the ground temperature gradient, the higher the ground temperature at

the same depth, and then the greater the temperature difference between the circulating water flow in the heat exchanger

and the surrounding rock and soil mass, the stronger the heat transfer power, the more intense the heat exchange. Therefore,

in practical engineering, it is very important to determine the original geothermal field of rock and soil mass in the early

stage, as far as possible, the medium and deep buried pipe heat exchanger set in the area with a large geothermal gradient,

in order to improve the heat transfer capacity of the medium and deep buried pipe heat exchanger.
 Fig.7 The changing of outlet water temperature and heat exchange along with the geothermal gradient

4.3 Internal factors

4.3.1 Thermal conductivity of backfill material

The thermal conductivity of a series of typical materials of air, water, expansive soil and concrete-sand mixture were

selected as the objects of study, and their thermal conductivity values were taken as 0.02, 0.6, 0.73 and 2.5 W/(m·K),

respectively, with other parameters unchanged. The outlet water temperature and heat exchange rate of the medium and

deep buried pipe heat exchanger change with the thermal conductivity of the backfilling material, as shown in Fig 8.

As can be seen from Fig. 8, the greater the thermal conductivity of the backfill material of the medium-deep buried

tube heat exchanger, the higher the heat exchanger outlet temperature and the greater the heat transfer, with other parame-

ters remaining unchanged. During the increase of backfill material thermal conductivity from 0.02 W/(m·K) to 2.5

W/(m·K), the heat exchanger outlet temperature increased from 6.51°C to 13.63°C, and the heat transfer also increased

from 88.16 kW to 338.51 kW. It is worth noting that when the backfill material thermal conductivity increased from 0.02

W/(m·K) to 0.6 W/(m·K), the heat exchanger The outlet temperature and heat exchange of the heat exchanger have a

significant increase, while the increase of the thermal conductivity of the backfill material has a smaller impact on the

increase of the outlet temperature and heat exchange. Therefore, the actual project, when the backfill material thermal

conductivity to a certain extent, there is no need to pursue a larger backfill material thermal conductivity without restriction.

Generally, the specification stipulates that it is enough to ensure that the thermal conductivity of the backfill material in
the heat harvesting section is not lower than the thermal conductivity of the rock and soil mass of the thermal reservoir

outside the borehole. Backfill ratio should be determined according to geological characteristics, in addition to considering

the thermal conductivity, more importantly, also consider the suitability of the backfill and the surrounding rock and soil

mass to ensure the degree of backfill compactness, once there are voids and air, etc., as can be seen in Fig. 8, will seriously

affect the heat exchanger heat transfer performance. Engineering generally recommended the use of cement-based backfill.

Fig.8 The changing of outlet water temperature and heat exchange along with the thermal conductivity of backfill material

4.3.2 Depth of buried pipes

The burial depth of the medium-deep buried tube heat exchanger is selected as the research object, which is taken as

1200, 1600, 2000, 2400, 2800, 3200m respectively, and other parameters remain unchanged, and the water temperature

and heat exchange rate of the medium-deep buried tube heat exchanger outlet are obtained as shown in Fig. 9 from the

depth of buried tube anywhere.

As can be seen from Fig. 9, the deeper the depth of the medium-deep buried tube heat exchanger, the higher the outlet

temperature and the greater the heat exchange, with other parameters remaining unchanged. In the process of increasing

the depth of buried tube heat exchanger from 1200m to 3200m, the outlet temperature increases from 7.40°C to 25.98°C

and the heat exchange increases from 119.35kW to 772.24kW. And, with the increase of depth, the rate of outlet tempera-

ture and heat exchange is also increasing. This is mainly because, as the depth increases, the lower heat transfer length of

the buried pipe increases, and the increased heat transfer length has higher ground temperature and better heat transfer

effect compared with the upper heat harvesting section. However, in the actual project, the deeper the borehole, the higher

the drilling cost. Therefore, the actual load demand, heat exchange, heat pump unit performance and drilling cost should
be taken into consideration when selecting the drilling depth.

Fig.9 The changing of outlet water temperature and heat exchange along with the buried pipe depth

4.3.3 Thermal conductivity of the outer tube

The thermal conductivity of the outer tube of the medium-deep buried tube heat exchanger was selected as the object

of study and taken as 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55 W/(m·K), respectively, with other parameters unchanged,

and the variation of the outlet water temperature and heat exchange with the thermal conductivity of the outer tube of the

medium-deep buried tube heat exchanger was obtained as shown in Fig. 10.

As can be seen from Fig. 10, the greater the thermal conductivity of the outer tube of the medium-deep buried tube

heat exchanger, the higher the outlet temperature, and the greater the heat transfer, with other parameters remaining un-

changed. In the process of increasing the thermal conductivity of the outer tube of the buried tube heat exchanger from 1

W/(m·K) to 55 W/(m·K), the outlet temperature increases from 12.77°C to 13.14°C and the heat exchange increases from

308.12 kW to 321.05 kW. In fact, the thermal conductivity of the outer tube affects the heat transfer from the surrounding

rock and soil mass to the circulating water of the outer tube. However, in the heat transfer process between the outer tube

circulating water and the surrounding rock and soil mass, the thermal resistance of the surrounding rock and soil mass

plays a dominant role, accounting for about 90% of the total thermal resistance. Therefore, when the outer tube thermal

conductivity is higher than 10 W/ (m·K), the thermal conductivity of the outer tube has little influence on the heat transfer

performance of the buried tube heat exchanger. In the actual project, the general outer tube is used in petroleum steel pipe,
the thermal conductivity is basically 40W/(m·K) or more. Therefore, the selection of the outer tube should be more con-

cerned about its strength, durability, corrosion resistance and other qualities.

Fig.10 The changing of outlet water temperature and heat exchange along with the thermal conductivity of outer tube

4.3.4 Thermal conductivity of the inner tube

The thermal conductivity of the inner tube of the medium-deep buried tube heat exchanger was selected as the object

of study, which was taken as 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0, 1.2, 1.4, 1.6 W/(m·K), and other parameters were kept

unchanged, and the outlet water temperature and heat exchange of the medium-deep buried tube heat exchanger changed

with the thermal conductivity of the inner tube as shown in Fig. 11, and the vertical temperature distribution of the buried

tube with the change of thermal conductivity of the inner tube is shown in Fig. 12.

As can be seen from Fig. 11, the greater the thermal conductivity of the inner tube of the medium-deep buried tube

heat exchanger, the lower the outlet temperature and the smaller the heat exchange rate, with other parameters remaining

unchanged. The thermal conductivity of the inner tube of the buried tube heat exchanger increases from 0.05 W/(m·K) to

1.6 W/(m·K), the outlet temperature decreases from 13.22°C to 11.28°C, and the heat exchange decreases from 324.10

kW to 255.96 kW. This is because the thermal conductivity of the inner tube affects the heat transfer between the inner

tube circulating water and the outer tube circulating water. As can be seen from Fig. 12, in the downward process of

circulating water in the outer pipe, heat is absorbed from the surrounding rock and soil mass, and the temperature reaches

the highest at the depth of 2000m. Subsequently, when the water flows upward through the inner tube, its temperature will

gradually decrease due to the insufficient thermal resistance of the inner tube wall. And with the increase of the thermal
conductivity of the inner tube, there will be more heat from the inner tube water transfer to the outer tube water, and finally

lead to the buried tube heat exchanger outer tube water temperature rise, and then with the surrounding rock and soil mass

temperature difference becomes smaller, heat transfer efficiency is reduced, heat transfer and export water temperature

becomes smaller. Therefore, the actual project, attention should be paid to the selection of smaller thermal conductivity of

the inner tube pipe, reduce the heat exchange between the inner and outer tube circulating water, in order to improve the

temperature of the water and heat exchange.

Fig.11 The changing of outlet water temperature and heat exchange along with the thermal conductivity of inner tube
 Fig.12 The changing of the vertical temperature distribution of the heat exchanger along with the thermal conductivity of inner tube

4.3.5 Pipe diameter

The actual project, the deep buried pipe heat exchanger outer pipe pipe is generally petroleum casing, inner pipe pipe

is generally high-density polyethylene pipe. According to high-density polyethylene pipe production specifications, the

inner tube diameter were selected Ф50 × 5.6, Ф63 × 7.1, Ф75 × 8.4, Ф90 × 10.1, Ф110 × 12.3, Ф125 × 14.0, the outer

tube diameter Ф177.8 × 8, other parameters remain unchanged, the deep buried pipe heat exchanger outlet water temper-

ature and heat exchange with the outer tube diameter changes as shown in Fig. 13 shown.

As can be seen from Fig. 13, when the outer pipe diameter of the medium-deep buried tube heat exchanger is certain,

the larger the inner pipe diameter, the lower the outlet temperature and the smaller the heat exchange. The outlet tempera-

ture decreases from 13.20℃ to 13.12℃ and the heat exchange decreases from 323.41kW to 320.45kW during the process

of the inner pipe diameter of the buried pipe heat exchanger from 50mm to 125mm. the main reason is that, under the

condition that the outer pipe diameter and flow rate are certain, the increase of the inner pipe diameter will increase the

velocity of the outer pipe circulating water, the inner pipe circulating water velocity decreases. The increase of the outer

tube circulating water velocity will strengthen the heat exchange strength with the surrounding rock and soil mass, but the

decrease of the inner tube circulating water velocity will increase the heat dissipation in the process of inner tube water

travel, the joint action of the two, resulting in the heat exchanger heat exchange with the increase of the inner tube diameter

and reduce.
 Fig.13 The changing of outlet water temperature and heat exchange along with the inner pipe diameter

According to the petrochemical steel pipe size standards, the outer pipe diameter were selected Ф141.3 × 9.53, Ф168.3

× 10.97, Ф219.1 × 12.70, Ф273.1 × 12.70, Ф323.9 × 12.70, Ф110 × 12.3 inner pipe diameter. other parameters remain

unchanged, to obtain a deep buried pipe heat exchanger outlet water temperature and heat transfer with the outer tube

diameter changes as shown in Fig. 14.

As can be seen from Fig. 14, when the inner tube diameter of the medium-deep buried tube heat exchanger is certain,

the larger the outer tube diameter, the higher the outlet temperature and the greater the heat exchange. In the process of

increasing the outer tube diameter from 141.3 mm to 323.9 mm, the outlet temperature increases from 12.78°C to 14.98°C

and the heat exchange increases from 308.49 kW to 385.94 kW. Therefore, with other parameters unchanged, the increase

in the outer tube diameter is beneficial to the heat exchanger heat transfer. The main reason is that the increase of the outer

tube diameter will increase the contact heat exchange area between the heat exchanger and the surrounding backfill mate-

rial, which leads to the increase of heat exchange of the heat exchanger and the increase of the outlet temperature. In

addition, the outer tube diameter increases, the annular water flow cross-sectional area between the inner and outer tubes

will also increase, resulting in a reduction in the outer tube water velocity, which will also affect the heat exchanger heat

transfer and outlet water temperature. The combined effect of the two, resulting in heat exchanger heat exchange with the

increase in the diameter of the outer tube, heat exchange increases, the export temperature increases. However, in practical

engineering applications, it is important to note that an increase in the outer pipe diameter can lead to larger borehole

diameters and increased drilling costs. Therefore, the actual selection of the outer pipe diameter should take into account

the heat exchange, drilling costs and other factors to increase the outer pipe diameter within a certain range.
 Fig.14 The changing of outlet water temperature and heat exchange along with the outer pipe diameter

4.4 Analysis of influencing factors

The maximum and minimum values of the results of the above operating conditions were compared to reflect the

degree of influence of various factors on the outlet temperature and heat transfer of the medium-deep buried tube heat

exchanger. Comparison results are shown in Table 3 and Table 4. the following conclusions can be drawn from the table.

(1) The two factors that have the greatest effect on the outlet temperature are the depth of the buried pipe and the inlet

water temperature, followed by the thermal conductivity of the backfill material, the ground temperature gradient, the

geotechnical thermal conductivity and the flow rate. The remaining factors have less influence.

(2) The factor that has the greatest influence on the heat exchange is the depth of the buried pipe, followed by the

thermal conductivity of the backfill material, ground temperature gradient, geotechnical thermal conductivity, inlet water

temperature, outer pipe diameter, inner pipe thermal conductivity, and flow rate. The remaining factors have less influence.

(3) In general, buried pipe depth has the greatest influence on outlet temperature and heat exchange. The second is

geothermal geological conditions and backfill material thermal conductivity. Therefore, before the design, a detailed in-

vestigation should be conducted on the geothermal geological conditions of the project site, and the buried pipe should be

arranged in an area with better geothermal geological conditions as far as possible. At the same time, if possible, choose a

deeper buried pipe depth.

Table3 Comparison of the maximum and minimum outlet temperature values under different working conditions
 Working Working 𝑇𝑜𝑢𝑡 (𝑚𝑎𝑥) 𝑇𝑜𝑢𝑡 (𝑚𝑎𝑥)
Parameters 𝑇𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑇𝑜𝑢𝑡
conditions conditions 𝑇𝑜𝑢𝑡 (𝑚𝑖𝑛)
−𝑇𝑜𝑢𝑡 (𝑚𝑖𝑛)

Flow rate (m³·h-1 ) 20 16.94 40 10.99 1.54 5.95

Inlet water temperature(℃) 0 9.84 24 29.61 3.01 19.77

Geotechnical thermal conductivity (W·(m·K)-1 ) 1.4 9.84 3.5 15.67 1.59 5.83

Grout thermal conductivity (W·(m·K)-1 ) 0.02 6.51 2.5 13.63 2.09 7.12

Ground temperature gradient (℃/100m) 1.5 6.66 5 13.01 1.95 6.35

Buried pipe depth(m) 1200 7.40 3200 25.98 3.51 18.58

Thermal conductivity of outer tube (W·(m·K)-1 ) 1 12.77 55 13.14 1.03 0.37

Thermal conductivity of inner tube (W·(m·K)-1 ) 0.05 13.22 1.6 11.58 1.17 1.94

Inner pipe diameter (mm) 50 13.20 125 13.12 1.01 0.08

Outer pipe diameter (mm) 141.3 12.78 323.9 14.98 1.17 2.2

Table4 Comparison of the maximum and minimum heat transfer values under different working conditions

Working Working 𝐻𝑜𝑢𝑡 (𝑚𝑎𝑥) 𝐻𝑜𝑢𝑡 (𝑚𝑎𝑥)

Parameters 𝐻𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝐻𝑜𝑢𝑡
conditions conditions 𝐻𝑜𝑢𝑡 (𝑚𝑖𝑛)
− 𝐻𝑜𝑢𝑡 (𝑚𝑖𝑛)

Flow rate(m³/h) 20 303.1 40 327.5 1.08 24.4

Inlet water temperature(℃) 0 345.8 24 197.0 1.76 148.8

Geotechnical thermal conductivity (W·(m·K)-1 ) 1.4 205.2 3.5 410.3 2.00 205.1

Grout thermal conductivity (W·(m·K)-1 ) 0.02 88.2 2.5 338.5 3.84 250.3

Ground temperature gradient (℃/100m) 1.5 93.4 5 316.5 3.39 223.1

Buried pipe depth(m) 1200 119.4 3200 772.2 6.47 652.8

Thermal conductivity of outer tube (W·(m·K)-1 ) 1 308.1 55 321.1 1.04 13.0

Thermal conductivity of inner tube (W·(m·K)-1 ) 0.05 324.1 1.6 256.0 1.27 68.1

Inner pipe diameter (mm) 50 323.4 125 320.5 1.01 2.9

Outer pipe diameter (mm) 141.3 308.5 323.9 385.9 1.25 77.4

5 Study on the long-term operational sustainability of medium-deep buried tube heat exchangers

Based on the results of the above study, the optimal combination of parameters was selected to study the sustainability

of long-term operation of the medium-deep buried tube heat exchanger under better conditions. The specific parameter

settings are shown in Table 5.

Table5 Adjusted model parameter settings

Parameters Symbols Numerical value Unit

Drilling depth 𝐿 2500 m

Drill hole diameter 2𝑟𝑏 215.9 mm

Inner radius of inner tube 𝑟𝑖𝑖 42.7 mm

Outer radius of inner tube 𝑟𝑖𝑜 55 mm

Outer radius of outer tube 𝑟𝑜𝑜 88.9 mm

Inner radius of outer tube 𝑟𝑜𝑖 80.9 mm

Grout wall thickness 𝑡𝑔 19.05 mm

 Thermal conductivity of inner tube 𝜆𝑖 0.05 W·(m·K)-1

Thermal conductivity of outer tube 𝜆𝑜 55 W·(m·K)-1

Thermal conductivity of grouting 𝜆𝑔 2.5 W·(m·K)-1

Specific heat capacity of grout volume 𝜌𝑔 𝑐𝑔 3.8×106 J·(m³·K)-1

Equivalent thermal conductivity of the stratum 𝜆𝑠 2.5 W·(m·K)-1

Equivalent volumetric specific heat capacity 𝜌𝑠 𝑐𝑠 2×106 J·(m³·K)-1

of the stratum

Thermal conductivity of water 𝜆𝑓 0.58 W·(m·K)-1

Specific heat capacity of water by volume 𝜌𝑓 𝑐𝑓 4.217×106 J·(m³·K)-1

During the actual operation, the model temperature distribution and boundary conditions are set constant, the circu-

lation flow rate is 30 m³/h, and the inlet water temperature is constant at 5°C. Under this condition, the outlet temperature

and heat exchange change with time for 10a continuous operation are shown in Fig. 15.

As can be seen from Fig. 15, the outlet temperature and heat exchange of the medium-deep buried tube heat exchanger

gradually declined during 10a of continuous operation with the increase of operation time, but the declining trend gradually

slowed down and eventually tended to gradually stabilize. After 1a of continuous operation, the outlet temperature was

18.2℃, and after the 2a, the outlet temperature was 17.4℃, with an annual decay rate of 4.48%. After that, the annual

decay rate gradually decreases, and by the 7a, the annual decay rate is already below 1%. Compared with the 1a, the outlet

temperature and heat exchange rate decreased by 12.9% and 17.8% respectively in the 10a. However, after 10a of contin-

uous operation, the temperature difference between its inlet and outlet is still 10.8℃, and the heat exchange of linear meter

is still 150W/m. Considering that, in the actual operation, there will be more than 200d of ground temperature recovery

time each year. Therefore, it can be considered that the long-term operational sustainability of the medium-deep buried

tube heat exchanger is good and can be used for long-term heating in the harsh cold regions of northern China.
 Fig.15 The outlet temperature and heat exchange changes with time during 10 years of continuous operation

6 Conclusion

(1) The medium-deep buried pipe heat exchange technology has a large heat exchange of linear meter of a single well

and excellent heat exchange performance, which is more applicable in the heating of the cold areas in northern China.

(2) In the actual project, the buried pipe should be arranged in the area with larger geotechnical thermal conductivity

and ground temperature gradient, and backfill material with better suitability for the surrounding rock and soil mass should

be used, and the thermal conductivity of the backfill material should be slightly larger than the thermal conductivity of the

rock and soil mass of the thermal reservoir outside the borehole, meanwhile, try to choose the pipe with high thermal

resistance as the inner pipe. Within a certain range, choose a deeper buried pipe depth as well as a smaller inner and outer

pipe diameter ratio. When the system is operating, when the thermal load is large, a larger heat exchange can be obtained

by increasing the circulating water flow rate and lowering the inlet water temperature. When the heat load is smaller, a

smaller circulating water flow rate can be used to reduce the power consumption of the pump; or a larger inlet water

temperature to improve the efficiency of the heat pump unit to achieve the effect of energy saving.

(3) When the design of medium-deep buried tube heat exchanger is reasonable, its long-term operation is sustainable

and can be used for long-term heating in the harsh cold areas of northern China.

CRediT authorship contribution statement

Liangliang Guo: Conceptualization, Methodology, Software, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. Xufeng
Li: Conceptualization, Data curation, Methodology, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. Zihong

Wang: Investigation, Supervision. Yue Ma: Investigation, Software. Jian Zhang: Investigation, Software. Haiyang

Jiang: Investigation, Software.

Declaration of Competing Interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have ap-

peared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Acknowledgements

This research was funded by Shanxi Basic Research Program Project (202203021211127); No.1 Institute of Geology and

Mineral resources of Shandong Province (2022DY09).

Data availability

Data will be made available on request.

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