Embedding Energy Diaphragm Walls in EnergyPlus

Project Overview

This project will translate the outcomes of the EPSRC–FAPESP project, Efficient Ground Energy Systems for Deployment in Diaphragm Walls Under Challenging Application Scenarios (EP/X032639/1), into an implementation of energy diaphragm wall models within EnergyPlus. The underpinning project has generated extensive experimental, field, and numerical evidence, along with a mixed analytical infinite-plane-source method to represent the coupled thermal response of diaphragm walls and the surrounding ground.

Energy diaphragm walls offer an important shallow-geothermal opportunity in dense urban developments, where foundation and retaining-wall infrastructure can contribute to low-carbon heating and cooling. However, although EnergyPlus includes several ground heat exchanger models to simulate ground-source heat pump systems and related geothermal equipment, it currently lacks a dedicated model for energy diaphragm walls. This limits their consideration alongside building loads, heat-pump operation and seasonal energy management.

The research team will implement our established model in EnergyPlus, using existing numerical, experimental, and field datasets to support parameterisation and testing. They will also develop and document representative building-scale cases and test the implementation with academic and industry users. The project will deliver an open, practical EnergyPlus model that supports early-stage design decisions and accelerates the uptake of energy diaphragm walls in low-carbon urban infrastructure.