ABSTRACT
Sustainable and low-carbon thermal energy can be extracted from the ground by means of heat exchangers buried within it. In the last decades, Ground Source Energy Systems (GSES) have been incorporated within geotechnical structures such as foundation piles, tunnel linings and retaining walls. To date, limited field data regarding thermo-active walls exist and therefore there is considerable uncertainty regarding their mechanical response under non-isothermal conditions. This paper investigates the short and long term behaviour of a hypothetical thermo-active diaphragm wall installed in London by performing fully coupled Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical (THM) Finite Element (FE) analyses using the Imperial College Finite Element Program (ICFEP). A first set of analyses shows the influence of different types of analyses on the wall’s response, whereas a parametric study highlights the impact of varying ground properties on the simulated behaviour. The results demonstrate the importance of assessing the thermal load and estimating accurately the soil’s thermal and hydraulic parameters as these factors may affect the serviceability and stability of thermo-active retaining walls.
