Thermal and hydraulic effects on the mechanical behavior of coarse-grained soils used as heat storage media

Abstract

Assessing the mechanical stability of soils used as heat storage media is vital in the design and wellbeing of sensible heat storage systems, which are typically designed below ground level or as part of the sub-structure of buildings with load bearing capabilities and subjected to frequent water table fluctuations. Nevertheless, considering the importance that moisture and temperature factors have in building a mechanically sound heat storage media, a careful study of such effects has not been given adequate attention in past studies. On this basis, the mechanical performance of two heat storage sandy soils at different moisture contents and temperature conditions is studied in this research. The results show a significant dependence of the mechanical behavior of the investigated soils on moisture content and temperature, which when unaccounted for can result in the inaccurate design of the overall storage system.