On September 2nd and Sepember 21st, two Thermal Conductivity Tests were conducted through the U-bend looping pipe grouted in a 400-feet-deep borehole near the University House on campus. Fiber optic sensors were installed both inside and outside the looping pipe to monitor the temperature distribution along the depth and temperature variation with time. In the two tests, BOTDA and BOTDR analyzers provided two different methods acquiring the temperature data from fiber optic sensors. These tests will give us an insight into the ground conductivity and provide reference for the design of Borehole Thermal Energy System (BTES), which will then help Berkeley campus reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reach the carbon neutrality goal by 2025.
