Evaluation of thermal parameters with geothermal energy recovery from a cold climate municipal solid waste landfill

This study presents finite element method (FEM) modeling with COMSOL Multiphysics to estimate the thermal properties of a waste landfill through back-analysis of temperature responses from buried thermistors during a full-scale multi-week active thermal response test. Field tests were conducted at the Loraas MSW landfill in Saskatoon, Canada, using instrumented equipment, including a vertical borehole heat exchanger and thermistor strings. The test consisted of two phases: a heat injection test during the summer and a heat extraction test in the winter. The study focused on a landfill 25 m deep, observing temperature changes at various depths over time. The effect of heat generation rate (HGR) on landfill temperature was investigated. Thermal conductivity and volumetric heat capacity increase with depth, with close alignment between summer and winter results, validating the tests. This research enhances the understanding of thermal parameters in MSW landfills by combining field tests and numerical modeling, offering insights into landfill behavior in cold climates. These findings hold significance for optimizing geothermal energy recovery from such landfills, calibrating thermal parameters for coupled models in landfills, and improving waste management practices.