ABSTRACT
For the design and optimal performance of geothermal systems, various types of parameters such as economical, technical, design, hydraulic, and thermal parameters, have to be specified. For example, Blum et al. (2011), who studied the technoeconomic and spatial analysis of more than 1000 vertical ground-source heating pump (GSHP) systems with a heating demand of 11 ± 3 kW in southwestern Germany, concluded that subsurface characteristics are presently inadequately considered for the design of such GSHP systems. In this chapter, we merely discuss the most relevant thermal input parameters for the heat transport in the subsurface and design of geothermal systems using field methods such as thermal response tests (TRTs) and thermal tracer tests (TTTs). In the governing heat transport equations provided in Chapter 2, thermal diffusivities and hydraulic and thermal conductivities are important for heat transport simulations and design studies of closed and open geothermal systems. Hence, the focus is set on measurement techniques for determining these key hydraulic (Kw) and thermal parameters (λm, βL, βT). Values can be obtained both in the laboratory and in the field. The latter, being crucial for larger scale geothermal systems, is particularly considered here.
