ENERGY MICROPILES AND THERMO-ACTIVE FOUNDATIONS: EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION, NUMERICAL MODELLING, AND EMERGING APPLICATIONS
type: CreativeWork
description: This doctoral thesis focuses on advancing the understanding and knowledge of the thermo-mechanical and thermo-hydraulic behaviour of innovative Energy Geostructures (EGs), specifically focusing on energy micropiles (EMPs) and large-diameter energy piles (EPs) under extreme, large-scale, and non-conventional operational conditions. EGs serve a dual purpose: providing structural stability to buildings or infrastructure while harnessing shallow geothermal energy for the heating and cooling demands of the built environment. While the behaviour of conventional EPs has been extensively researched over the past decades, the investigation into EMPs remains largely unexplored. EMPs offer crucial advantages for the structural consolidation and energy retrofitting of existing buildings. Simultaneously, the integration of EGs into high-density metropolitan areas introduces new operational challenges. Consequently, this research addresses four primary gaps (described in detail in Section 1.8): the lack of experimental parametric understanding for EMPs, the unquantified structural implications of Subsurface Urban Heat Islands (SUHI), the uncertain operational safety limits during intensive winter heat extraction at sub-zero temperatures, and the insufficient optimization frameworks for foundation-based seasonal Underground Thermal Energy Storage (UTES). To address these challenges, this study employs a unified approach combining full-scale field testing and advanced numerical modelling. The experimental component of this work builds upon a dedicated full-scale test site established in Parma, Italy. Here, pressed-in steel EMPs were installed and extensively instrumented to evaluate their thermal performance under realistic operating conditions. The field campaign systematically assessed the influence of various geometric, hydraulic, and material parameters, including varying pipe diameters, single versus double-loop configurations, and the use of special conductive grout mixtures …
abstract: This doctoral thesis focuses on advancing the understanding and knowledge of the thermo-mechanical and thermo-hydraulic behaviour of innovative Energy Geostructures (EGs), specifically focusing on energy micropiles (EMPs) and large-diameter energy piles (EPs) under extreme, large-scale, and non-conventional operational conditions. EGs serve a dual purpose: providing structural stability to buildings or infrastructure while harnessing shallow geothermal energy for the heating and cooling demands of the built environment. While the behaviour of conventional EPs has been extensively researched over the past decades, the investigation into EMPs remains largely unexplored. EMPs offer crucial advantages for the structural consolidation and energy retrofitting of existing buildings. Simultaneously, the integration of EGs into high-density metropolitan areas introduces new operational challenges. Consequently, this research addresses four primary gaps (described in detail in Section 1.8): the lack of experimental parametric understanding for EMPs, the unquantified structural implications of Subsurface Urban Heat Islands (SUHI), the uncertain operational safety limits during intensive winter heat extraction at sub-zero temperatures, and the insufficient optimization frameworks for foundation-based seasonal Underground Thermal Energy Storage (UTES). To address these challenges, this study employs a unified approach combining full-scale field testing and advanced numerical modelling. The experimental component of this work builds upon a dedicated full-scale test site established in Parma, Italy. Here, pressed-in steel EMPs were installed and extensively instrumented to evaluate their thermal performance under realistic operating conditions. The field campaign systematically assessed the influence of various geometric, hydraulic, and material parameters, including varying pipe diameters, single versus double-loop configurations, and the use of special conductive grout mixtures …
author: SCUDERI, FRANCESCO
language: eng
keywords: Energy geostructures, SUHI, Subsurface urban heat island, UTES, Underground thermal energy storage, Freezing, Micropiles, Energy micropiles, Energy piles, Energy geostructures, Settore CEAR-05/A - Geotecnica, Settore GEOS-03/B - Geologia applicata
date published: 2026-06-23
date modified: 2026-07-27T20:19:03Z
provider: Università degli Studi di Milano
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Università degli Studi di Milano

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property ID: Handle
value: https://hdl.handle.net/2434/1255515