CIVIL-444 / 4 credits

Teacher:

Language: English

Remark: Pas donné en 2025-26


Summary

Energy geostructures are a technology that couples the structural role of foundations with the heating/cooling role of geothermal heat exchangers. The goal of the course is to provide an understanding of the structural, geotechnical and energy behaviour.

Content

  • Introduction: Energy geostructures general principles
  • Heat and mass transfer theory for energy geostructures
  • Analytical modelling of heat and mass transfer
  • Thermo-mechanical behaviour of single energy piles
  • Thermo-mechanical behaviour of energy pile groups
  • Thermo-mechanical behaviour of energy walls and tunnels
  • Design of energy geostructures
  • Construction of energy geostructures
  • Thermal potential of sites and determination of design parameters (testing)
  • Thermo-mechanical behaviour of soils and soil-concrete interfaces

Keywords

Energy geostructures – design – thermo-mechanics

Learning Prerequisites

Required courses

Any EPFL bachelor degree

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, the student must be able to:

  • Describe the thermal and mechanical behavior of energy geostructures referring to the latest scientific advances.
  • Advise on how the exploit the energetic, geotechnical and structural design of energy geostructures.
  • Use the standards in force at the European level (i.e. the Eurocodes) for the design of energy geostructures.
  • Design energy geostructures with participal exercices covering all the key steps involved in this process.
  • Recognize the potential of this technology based on practical examples of recent projects carried out around the world.

Transversal skills

  • Set objectives and design an action plan to reach those objectives.
  • Collect data.
  • Take feedback (critique) and respond in an appropriate manner.
  • Use both general and domain specific IT resources and tools
  • Make an oral presentation.
  • Write a scientific or technical report.

Teaching methods

Powerpoint ; discussion ; in-class exercises ; group project

Expected student activities

Attend lectures ; participate in exercises ; home study ; project group work

Assessment methods

  • Written exam (theoretical questions and exercises) : 45% of the final mark
  • 5 assigned exercises : 25 % of the final mark
  • Design project : 30% of the final mark (20% design project report, 10% design project presentation), group work

Supervision

Office hours No
Assistants Yes
Forum Yes

Resources

Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI)

No

Moodle Link

Prerequisite for


 


 

In the programs

  • Semester: Spring
  • Exam form: Written (summer session)
  • Subject examined: Energy geostructures
  • Courses: 2 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Exercises: 1 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Project: 1 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Type: optional
  • Semester: Spring
  • Exam form: Written (summer session)
  • Subject examined: Energy geostructures
  • Courses: 2 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Exercises: 1 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Project: 1 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Type: optional
  • Semester: Spring
  • Exam form: Written (summer session)
  • Subject examined: Energy geostructures
  • Courses: 2 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Exercises: 1 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Project: 1 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Type: optional
  • Semester: Spring
  • Exam form: Written (summer session)
  • Subject examined: Energy geostructures
  • Courses: 2 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Exercises: 1 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Project: 1 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Type: optional
  • Semester: Spring
  • Exam form: Written (summer session)
  • Subject examined: Energy geostructures
  • Courses: 2 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Exercises: 1 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Project: 1 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Type: optional
  • Semester: Spring
  • Exam form: Written (summer session)
  • Subject examined: Energy geostructures
  • Courses: 2 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Exercises: 1 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Project: 1 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Type: optional
  • Exam form: Written (summer session)
  • Subject examined: Energy geostructures
  • Courses: 2 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Exercises: 1 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Project: 1 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
  • Type: optional

Reference week

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