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The Use of Recycled Materials as Thermal Insulation in Underground

Construction

Conference Paper · August 2016

DOI: 10.1061/9780784480137.010

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Geo-Chicago 2016 GSP 270 94

The Use of Recycled Materials as Thermal Insulation in Underground Construction

James L. Hanson, M.ASCE, Ph.D., P.E.1; Kevin B. Kopp, S.M.ASCE2; Nazli

Yesiller, A.M.ASCE, Ph.D.3; Craig M. Cooledge, S.M.ASCE2; and Emily Klee,
S.M.ASCE4
1
Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering Dept., California Polytechnic State
Univ., San Luis Obispo, CA 93407.
2
Graduate Research Assistant, Civil and Environmental Engineering Dept., California
Polytechnic State Univ., San Luis Obispo, CA 93407.
3
Director, Global Waste Research Inst., California Polytechnic State Univ., San Luis
Obispo, CA 93407.
4
Undergraduate Student, Environmental Resources Engineering Dept., Humboldt
State Univ., Arcata, CA 95521.

Abstract: This investigation was conducted to evaluate the use of recycled materials
in underground construction. Facilities constructed underground benefit from stable
thermal boundary conditions resulting in reduced heating and cooling requirements.
Numerical analysis using 2D finite element method was conducted to investigate a
simulated underground facility (i.e., warehouse). The cross-sectional dimensions for
the warehouses were 50 m x 10 m. Analyses were conducted for three locations
representing cold, temperate, and arid climates. The required heating and cooling
energy demands to maintain a target temperature inside the warehouses were
determined. Three target temperatures were evaluated: -25°C (cold storage), 10°C
(specialized storage), and 20°C (human occupancy). Different insulation materials
including waste-derived materials were assessed. Simulations using conventional
XPS insulation and no insulation were compared to shredded tires and waste textiles.
The heating energy demands were between 0 and 268.0 GJ/year and the cooling
energy demands were between 3.1 and 1491.5 GJ/year. The results indicated that the
recycled waste materials were effective in providing insulation function. In particular,
the textile waste materials matched or exceeded the performance of conventional
insulation indicating viability for use as thermal insulation in underground
construction applications.

INTRODUCTION

Energy used for heating and cooling constitutes a significant fraction of total energy
consumed in various parts of the world. In the U.S., the energy used for heating and
cooling exceeds 40% of total energy consumption in commercial applications and is
approximately 50% of total energy consumption for residential applications (EIA

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2015). Underground space utilization has been demonstrated to be efficient for energy
savings for a broad range of building functions and climatic conditions (Carmody and
Sterling 1993). Heat transfer analysis is required when subsurface is used as an
insulating or dissipating medium for underground utilities (e.g., electrical, water, and
liquid natural gas lines), for storage of cold and hot materials (e.g., storage of
perishable goods), and for buildings with variable functions (e.g., commercial space,
residential space). Conductive heat transfer analysis is often used for investigation of
ground temperature variations, as the primary mechanism responsible for heat transfer
in soils is conduction (Persaud and Chang 1983, Mitchell 1993).
Effectiveness of underground structures in different climatic regions has been
demonstrated in various investigations. As an example, Kuraoka and Hane (1985)
documented energy savings for underground food storage in a temperate climate. Van
Dronkelaar et al. (2014) presented an extensive parametric evaluation related to
thermal energy requirements for underground facilities for six different functions in
fifteen distinct climatic regions representative of habitable areas with approximately
90% of the world population.
Use of thermal insulation affects the energy demands for maintaining controlled
temperatures. Variations in insulation material thermal conductivity requirements
were determined for residential application as a function of depth of placement of the
structure for climatic conditions in Korea (Kim and Kim 2004). Use of recycled
plastic waste materials derived from municipal solid waste as insulation for
basements was investigated (Cherif Megri 2010). Comprehensive analysis of variable
waste materials, climatic conditions, and intended use of the underground space had
not been conducted in previous studies. This study was conducted to investigate the
use of waste- and byproduct-derived insulation materials in underground structures
with variable functions located in multiple climatic regions. Numerical analysis was
used to evaluate the effectiveness of waste and byproduct insulation materials.

MODEL FORMULATION

Numerical simulations were conducted using a 2D finite element analysis approach

(Abaqus CAE version 6.11 software). Quadrilateral elements ranging from
approximately 0.1 m x 0.1 m to 1 m x 5 m were used for the analysis. The model
consisted of approximately 10,000 elements. The time step was established as 1 day
for the simulations. Initially, the entire model for a given site was set to a constant
temperature representing the mean annual earth temperature at the site. Next, the
model was allowed to run under the influence of variable (i.e., seasonal) ground
surface temperature fluctuations over a start-up simulation period of 20 years to reach
thermal stasis. Then, the model was run to generate specified target temperatures in
the warehouse. A user-defined subroutine was developed to iteratively solve, at each
time step, the incremental heat flux required to maintain the constant target
temperature and to apply this flux to appropriate nodes along the warehouse
boundary. This stage of modeling included a 4-year-simulation period to reach the
new thermal stasis for the target constant working warehouse temperature conditions
and a follow-up one-year period under quasi steady-state working conditions. Finally,
the required heating and cooling demands to maintain the target temperature inside

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the selected facility were determined. Heating and cooling requirements were
established using heat flux over the entire surface area of the simulated underground
facility for the final one-year period. The finite element model was verified using an
analytical solution for a fundamental conductive half-space model subjected to
periodic temperature variation at the surface (Carslaw and Jaeger 1959).

Geometry

The 2-D simulations were conducted for a warehouse with cross sectional
dimensions of 50 m width x 10 m height. When used, insulation materials were
configured in a 1 m-thick layer surrounding the exterior surface area of the entire
warehouse. The warehouse contained 1 m thick concrete walls, floor, and roof. The
top surface of the warehouse roof was situated 2 m below the ground surface. A
schematic depiction of the model geometry is provided in Figure 1.

FIG. 1. Schematic of model.

Test Sites

Modeling and analysis were conducted for three locations across the U.S. in
different climatic regions (Figure 2). Details of climate classification using the
Köppen-Geiger Climate Classification System as presented in Peel et al. (2007) and
the relevant climatic statistics are presented in Table 1. The sites were selected to

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provide data and analysis for variable climatic conditions. At each site, constant
warehouse temperatures of –25°C, 10°C, and 20°C were used representing bulk cold
storage, specialty storage applications, and human occupancy conditions,
respectively.

1) Boulder, CO
2) Houston, TX
3) Minneapolis, MN

3
1

FIG. 2. Locations of model test sites.

Table 1. Climate Data

Boulder Houston Minneapolis

Parameter
Colorado Texas Minnesota
Temperate, without dry Cold, dry winter,
Climate Zone and Description Arid, steppe, cold
season, hot summer warm summer
Köppen-Geiger Climate
BSk Cfa Dwb
Classification
Average daily high temperature
18.7 26.6 13.0
(°C)a
Average daily low temperature
3.4 15.3 3.1
(°C)a
Average daily temperature
11.1 21.0 8.0
(°C)a
Annual normal precipitation
533 1224 770
(mm)a
Annual normal snowfall
2264 5 1266
(mm)a
Mean annual earth temperature
11.1 24.4 7.8
(°C)b
a
From NCDC (2015)
b
From ORNL (1981)

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Material Properties and Boundary Conditions

The materials used in the simulations included soil, concrete, internal space of the
warehouse, and thermal insulation. A total of four insulation conditions were
simulated: no insulation, conventional insulation, shredded waste rubber tires, and
waste textiles. The thermal properties of the materials used in the analyses are
provided in Table 2.

Table 2. Thermal Properties

Thermal Heat
Density
Material Conductivity Capacity
(kg/m3)
(W/mK) (J/kgK)
Soil 2.0 2000 1300
Concrete 1.70 2500 670
Internal Spacea 0.093 275 1876
Conventional XPS Thermal Insulationb 0.029 48.1 1500
Shredded Tire Insulationc 0.24 660 1470
Textile Insulationd 0.03 350 1250
a
represents weighted average for a warehouse
b
Owens Corning (2015)
c
Humphrey (1999) and Balunaini et al. (2009)
d
Stankovic et al. (2008)

Boundary conditions required in modeling heat transfer associated with the

underground storage facility consisted of seasonal ground surface temperature
fluctuations and a far field boundary at depth. The seasonal ground surface
temperature fluctuations were established using surface n-factors to convert air
temperatures to ground temperatures (Andersland and Ladanyi 1994). The freezing
and thawing n-factors used were 0.9 and 1.3, respectively. The conventional 30-year
definition of n-factors was applied, providing statistically representative conditions
for each site. The far field (i.e., bottom) boundary was established at constant mean
annual earth temperature for each test site. The far-field boundary condition was
applied at a depth that was 75 m below the base of the warehouse. The distance to the
far-field boundary was determined by analyzing the temperature response of different
model geometries using increasingly greater depths to establish constant temperature.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Example contour plots representing underground temperature distributions for the

site located in Boulder are presented in Figure 3. Data are presented for the vicinity of
the warehouse (not the entire model configuration) for textile insulation and all three
target warehouse temperatures. The graphics represent conditions on July 1 of a given
year. The highest influence of the warehouse was observed for the coldest target
warehouse temperature conditions. High temperature variations occurred above the
warehouse near the ground surface. The presence of the warehouse interrupted the
baseline seasonal temperature variations with depth in the subsurface.

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a) Warehouse at -25°C

b) Warehouse at 10°C

c) Warehouse at 20°C

FIG. 3. Model results for Boulder with waste textile insulation.

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Thermal gradients (defined as change in temperature per unit length) were largest
near the warehouse due to presence of abrupt temperature changes at the facility
boundary and to a lesser degree, at the ground surface due to presence of seasonal
temperature variations. The magnitudes of thermal gradients were a function of target
warehouse temperature, site location and season, as well as type of insulation. Highest
thermal gradients were observed when the difference between target warehouse
temperature and ambient ground temperatures were greatest. This generally occurred
at the top of the warehouse where seasonal ground temperature extremes were
present. Maximum thermal gradients were on the order of 32°C/m. Presence of the
warehouse affected the ambient ground temperature fluctuations for a zone
surrounding the warehouse. At distances up to approximately 11 m away from the
warehouse (i.e., outside of the insulation/soil interface), the thermal regime
approached ambient ground temperature conditions. At depths below approximately
30 m, thermal gradients were negligible.
A summary of the results of the numerical simulations for the three climatic
regions, four insulation conditions, and three target warehouse temperatures is
provided in Table 3. Data are provided for heating energy demands (heating energy
required to reach and remain at target warehouse temperature) and cooling energy
demands (cooling energy required to reach and remain at target warehouse
temperature) for the different scenarios. Heating and cooling energy demands at a
given site were controlled by the target warehouse temperature and the climatic
conditions including seasonal ground surface temperature variations, constant earth
temperature at depth, and presence of thermal insulation. Thermal energy
requirements are reported in GJ/year for a unit length of warehouse into the page (1 m
for this case). Heating energy demands were greatest in Minneapolis and lowest in
Houston, whereas cooling energy demands were highest in Houston and lowest in
Minneapolis. Intermediate energy demands were generally observed for Boulder
(Table 3).
Overall, the inclusion of thermal insulation reduced heating and cooling energy
demands for all simulations (Table 3). The waste and byproduct-derived insulations
were effective in reducing energy demands. Textile insulation was more effective at
providing thermal energy savings for all simulations compared to shredded tire
insulation. In general, the energy demands were similar for conventional XPS
insulation and waste textile insulation. The temperature profiles for the
unconventional waste-derived insulation materials approached that for the
conventional XPS insulation based on analysis of the numerical simulations of the
underground thermal conditions. While the density of the waste textile insulation was
higher than that of XPS insulation and the heat capacity of the waste textiles was
lower than that of XPS insulation, the thermal conductivity of the two materials were
similar. The heat capacities for XPS and shredded tire insulation were similar,
whereas both the thermal conductivity and density of the tires were higher than those
for XPS insulation. The thermal response simulated herein likely was controlled by
the thermal conductivity of the materials with similar results obtained for the
materials with similar thermal conductivity values (Table 3).

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Table 3. Results of Simulations

Target Heating and [Cooling] Energy Demands

Site Temperature (GJ/year)
(°C) None XPS Tires Textiles
0 0 0 0
-25
[1190.0] [203.0] [767.5] [209.0]
Boulder 49.5 5.0 26.5 4.2
10
Colorado [184.0] [27.8] [112.8] [27.8]
207.5 32.1 128.3 32.2
20
[42.0] [4.1] [22.2] [3.3]
0 0 0 0
-25
[1491.5] [254.3] [961.8] [261.9]
Houston 1.4 0 0.2 0
10
Texas [438.0] [74.5] [281.8] [76.7]
39.7 3.9 21.1 3.2
20
[174.3] [26.8] [107.6] [26.9]
0 0 0 0
-25
[1129.7] [192.7] [728.6] [198.4]
Minneapolis 81.4 8.8 44.3 7.9
10
Minnesota [155.4] [21.3] [91.7] [20.8]
268.0 42.2 167.0 42.6
20
[42.2] [3.9] [22.0] [3.1]

Total annual thermal energy demands (summation of heating and cooling energies)
ranged from 28.7 GJ/year (warehouse in Minneapolis, waste textile insulation,
maintained at 10°C) to 1491.5 GJ/year (warehouse in Houston, no insulation,
maintained at -25°C). The greatest thermal energy demands for warehouses
maintained at -25°C, 10°C, and 20°C were 1491.5, 439.4, and 310.2 GJ/year,
respectively. These three cases with maximum thermal energy demands were for no
insulation scenarios. For comparison, maximum energy requirements for scenarios
with insulation were obtained for waste tire insulation and were 961.8, 282.0, 189.0
GJ/year for -25°C, 10°C, and 20°C warehouse temperatures, respectively with lower
values for the XPS and textile insulations. Comparisons were made for energy
savings between no insulation and insulation conditions. Savings in total annual
energy demands ranged from 82 to 87%, 36 to 43%, and 82 to 88% for XPS, waste
tire, and waste textile insulations. These comparisons demonstrate that use of
insulation directly increases the effectiveness of underground building construction
applications. Type of insulation (i.e., thermal properties) significantly affects the
extent of energy savings.

CONCLUSIONS

While the use and benefits of insulation in above ground applications is well
documented, limited information is available on insulation for underground
construction. This investigation was conducted to evaluate the use of waste-derived
thermal insulations in underground construction applications. The investigation
included three climatic regions representing arid (Boulder, Colorado), temperate
(Houston, Texas), and cold (Minneapolis, Minnesota) climates. Four insulation
conditions (no insulation, conventional XPS insulation, shredded rubber tires, and

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waste textiles) and three target warehouse temperatures (-25°C, 10°C, and 20°C)
representing numerous storage and occupancy applications were modeled. Analysis
was conducted using 2D finite element modeling The heating energy demands per
unit length for the model warehouse were between 0 and 268.0 GJ/year and the
cooling energy demands were between 42.0 and 1491.5 GJ/year for no insulation
scenarios, whereas heating energy demands were between 0 and 167.0 GJ/year and
the cooling energy demands were between 3.1 and 961.8 GJ/year with the use of
insulation materials. Maximum thermal gradients in the immediate vicinity the
warehouse were on the order of 32°C/m. Textile insulation was more effective at
providing thermal energy savings for all simulations compared to shredded tire
insulation. In general, the energy demands were similar for conventional XPS
insulation and waste textile insulation with energy savings on the order of 85%
compared to no insulation conditions. Use of waste materials and byproducts provides
a viable alternative for beneficial reuse of these materials.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This study was partly supported by the Global Waste Research Institute. Mr. Kevin
Kopp and Ms. Emily Klee were supported by NSF REU Site Grant No. 1263337.

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Geo-Chicago 2016 GSP 270 103

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