Numerical analysis to assess the impact of thermo-active foundation systems

The thesis presents a numerical solution using two-dimensional analysis for a ground medium that includes building foundation and associated geothermal heat exchanger. Conduction and convection-diffusion are considered to model heat transfer within and between various elements of thermo-active foundation system including building foundation. The numerical solution is validated with analytical solutions and with CFD predictions. An exhaust parametric analysis was developed to evaluate the effect of individual parameters over the overall thermal performance of the thermo-active foundation system as well thermal interaction between the geothermal heat exchangers and the building foundation A simple correlation is developed using regression analysis to predict the impact of the thermo-active foundation system on heat transfer from the building foundation.