Analysis of Heat Transfer Characteristics of Fractured Surrounding Rock in Deep Underground Spaces

Abstract

The study of fluid-heat coupling in deep fractured surrounding rock is the basis of design, safety, and extraction of geothermal energy of deep underground spaces. The heat transfer and fractured media seepage theories were employed to establish a three-dimensional unsteady model for fluid-heat coupling heat transfer in fractured surrounding rock. Using COMSOL multiphysics simulation software, the temperature field of the fractured surrounding rock was determined. Furthermore, the influences of ventilation time, Darcy’s velocity, fracture aperture, and thermal conductivity coefficient of the surrounding rock on the fractured surrounding rock temperature field distribution were investigated. The results of the numerical simulation show that the ventilation time and fracture have a major impact on the temperature field distribution of the fractured surrounding rock. As ventilation time is 200 days, an average water temperature in centerline of the fracture decreases 9.4 K as Darcy’s velocity increased from 3e-4m/s to 2e-3m/s. As ventilation time is 200 days, an average water temperature in centerline of the fracture decreases 5.3 K as fracture aperture increased from 3 mm to 9 mm. A set of experimental devices for fluid-heat coupling heat transfer in surrounding rock with a single fracture was designed and built to validate the numerical simulation results. Numerical simulation results are, in general, in agreement with the experimental results.