Online-Geokolloquium: Montag 23.11.2020

Heat transfer processes in soils and their interaction on the corresponding pedological parameters play a key role in increasing the sustainable use of heat and electricity and in reducing the effects of global climate change.  These include performance improvements of shallow and very shallow geothermal systems as well as the calculation and simulation of heat dissipation in the planning and design of underground electric power cables.

Heat transfer processes in soils are influenced by many different pedological characteristics. Thermal conductivity is one of the key parameters that determines the thermal energy exchange potential of soils.

In addition, thermal conductivity is influenced by other properties such as grain size/texture class, bulk density and soil moisture. Where interactions and regularities of the heat transfer process in soils are well known, local soil energy exchange potential can be calculated and mapped and where necessary thermal potentials of the shallow or very shallow geothermal systems can be increased or reduced when planning and constructing infrastructural projects (e.g. collector based low-temperature district heating and cooling networks).