Novel hybrid coaxial-U-shaped closed-loop geothermal system for enhanced energy extraction: a numerical analysis

Insulated U-shaped closed-loop geothermal system (UCLGS) is an efficient and environmentally friendly method of harnessing geothermal energy. However, heat available in the rock surrounding the insulated production pipe has not been extracted yet. Therefore, this study proposed a novel hybrid coaxial-U-shaped CLGS (HCLGS) to enhance the overall thermal performance of CLGS. The HCLGS comprises an insulated UCLGS for harnessing energy from the reservoir rock, alongside a coaxial double pipe system designed to extract additional thermal energy from the rock enveloping the insulated production pipe of the UCLGS. Further, the study explored the thermal feasibility of the proposed HCLGS in various rock formations for geothermal energy extraction at different depths. The results showed that the HCLGS installed in the pyroxenite rock produced primary hot fluid with a maximum temperature of 94°C and secondary hot fluid at a temperature of 38.5°C for the base case, achieving a COP of 1.15. The proposed HCLGS can extract up to 18% higher thermal power than the insulated UCLGS, with a COP ranging from 1.11 to 1.16. Finally, the proposed hybrid system significantly harnessed the additional heat available in the rock encompassing the insulated production pipe of UCLGS.