Thermal properties of a tropical unsaturated soil

University of São Paulo at São Carlos, Departament of Geotechnical Engineering, Av. Trabalhador Sancarlense, 400, São Carlos, SP, 13566–590, Brazil.

^* Corresponding author: tsomorais@sc.usp.br

Abstract

Ground thermal properties, especially the thermal conductivity, are of paramount importance for the design of ground source heat pump systems (GSHP), used for space heating and cooling. However, very little information, if any, are available from the thermal characteristics of tropical unsaturated soils related to the GSHP application. To evaluate the thermal behaviour of a typical Brazilian tropical unsaturated soil, an extensive experimental investigation was conducted at the test site of the University of Sao Paulo at São EESC/USP) comprising Carlos (a detailed soil characterization; field monitoring of the seasonal groundwater table variation; soil and ambient temperatures, and matric suction of the top soil. This paper describes the investigation program and compares the thermal soil properties as measured in laboratory and field thermal response tests. The results were variable depending on the testing techniques; however, all results showed that the soil thermal conductivity is strongly influenced by the degree of saturation of the soil.