Thermal diffusivity of municipal solid waste based on inverse analysis of in-situ heat extraction test

Abstract

In this study, a two-dimensional finite difference model was used to simulate the heat transfer occurred during a 17-day heat extraction test performed in an MSW landfill cell in Santee, California. The heat extraction was performed using serpentine horizontal heat exchangers installed 6 m above the base liner of the cell, and it started after the waste reached a stable temperature value of 52 °C. The model was developed based on the differential heat conduction equation and an inverse analysis was performed to estimate the thermal diffusivity of the waste. The values of in-situ thermal diffusivity obtained ranged from 7.85  10 -7 m 2 /s to 1.05  10 -6 m 2 /s and are consistent with the higher range of values presented in the literature