Evaluating the effective thermal conductivity of geothermal pavements constructed using demolition wastes by DEM and 3D printing techniques

Abstract

This paper studies the effect of various parameters on the effective thermal conductivity (λeff) of the geothermal pavement system when constructed using construction and demolition (C&D) materials. Recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) and recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) were utilized to experimentally model the geothermal pavement system, consisting of copper tubes to circulate water in the pavement and harness thermal energy. Numerical computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and discrete element method (DEM) methods were used to simulate the geothermal pavement system. Six samples of RAP and RCA aggregates with different particle size distributions were utilized to study the effect of important p..