Mathematical Problems in Engineering
Volume 2012 (2012), Article ID 845192, 11 pages
http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/845192
Research Article

Down-Hole Heat Exchangers: Modelling of a Low-Enthalpy Geothermal System for District Heating

M. Carlini,1 S. Castellucci,2 E. Allegrini,1 and A. Tucci2

1Department of Agriculture, Forest, Nature and Energy (D.A.F.N.E), University of Tuscia, Via Camillo de Lellis, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
2CIRDER, University of Tuscia, Via Camillo de Lellis, 01100 Viterbo, Italy

Received 30 July 2012; Accepted 11 September 2012

Academic Editor: Sheng-yong Chen

Copyright © 2012 M. Carlini et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

In order to face the growing energy demands, renewable energy sources can provide an alternative to fossil fuels. Thus, low-enthalpy geothermal plants may play a fundamental role in those areas—such as the Province of Viterbo—where shallow groundwater basins occur and conventional geothermal plants cannot be developed. This may lead to being fuelled by locally available sources. The aim of the present paper is to exploit the heat coming from a low-enthalpy geothermal system. The experimental plant consists in a down-hole heat exchanger for civil purposes and can supply thermal needs by district heating. An implementation in MATLAB environment is provided in order to develop a mathematical model. As a consequence, the amount of withdrawable heat can be successfully calculated.