The potential of energy micropiles as energy geostructures

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The energy crisis presently faced in the world and particularly in Europe, is raising alarm for the transition from fossil fuels to sustainable and renewable energy resources. It is in this light that low enthalpy geothermal energy is increasingly getting attention, in the heating and cooling sectors. With diversified technologies of geothermal extraction, it is important to choose the right technology for every situation considering both the economic and technical aspects. In the context of structural rehabilitation of buildings, micropiles stand as the optimum choice for retrofitting and underpinning of existing foundations. This technology could also be advantageously extended in the sector of energy rehabilitation, as the thermal performance of micropiles suitably equipped to allow heat exchange between the ground and the building has proved promising for use in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. Although very similar to energy piles, the behavior of energy micropiles is expected to be different mainly due to the difference in sizes and spacing. As such, a comprehensive understanding of the thermo-mechanical behavior of energy micropiles is important in view of their application. To date, however, little research has been conducted on the subject. This article firstly presents an extensive literature review on geothermal energy and energy geostructures. This is followed by a description of micropiles applicability and thermal performance with specific reference to the TITAN 73/53 micropile. Then, a review on the thermo-mechanical behavior of energy micropiles has been presented followed by a description of the ongoing research.

Keywords: Energy micropiles, rehabilitation of buildings, thermomechanical behavior

18th European Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ECSMGE2024)

E - Environment, water and energy