ABSTRACT
Since the 1980s, a number of underground geotechnical structures have been turned into heat exchangers, the so-called energy geostructures, by embedding absorber pipes in their concrete mass. A carrier fluid circulating along the pipes extracts or injects heat from or into the ground with the aim of conditioning buildings. A novel energy tunnel precast segmental lining was patented at Politecnico di Torino in 2016. Compared to previous configurations, this patent suggests an innovative and more efficient layout of the net of pipes. The South Extension of Turin Metro Line 1 represented an extraordinary opportunity to test the novel energy segment. This paper is intended to describe the experimental site setup, by outlining the operation modes and the experimental campaign carried out. A preliminary coupled thermo-hydraulic, finite-element numerical analysis was also developed with the intention of performing a comparison with the experimental measurements.
