Development of Simulation Tool for Ground Source Heat Pump Systems Influenced by Ground Surface

• Main Authors: Takao Katsura, Yoshitaka Sakata, Lan Ding, Katsunori Nagano
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-08-01
• Series: Energies
• Subjects: ground source heat pump system; simulation tool; influence of ground surface; superposition theorem
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/13/17/4491

The authors developed a ground heat exchanger (GHE) calculation model influenced by the ground surface by applying the superposition theorem. Furthermore, a simulation tool for ground source heat pump (GSHP) systems affected by ground surface was developed by combining the GHE calculation model with the simulation tool for GSHP systems that the authors previously developed. In this paper, the outlines of GHE calculation model is explained. Next, in order to validate the calculation precision of the tool, a thermal response test (TRT) was carried out using a borehole GHE with a length of 30 m and the outlet temperature of the GHE calculated using the tool was compared to the measured one. The relative error between the temperatures of the heat carrier fluid in the GHE obtained by measurement and calculation was 3.3% and this result indicated that the tool can reproduce the measurement with acceptable precision. In addition, the authors assumed that the GSHP system was installed in residential houses and predicted the performances of GSHP systems using the GHEs with different lengths and numbers, but the same total length. The result showed that the average surface temperature of GHE with a length of 10 m becomes approximately 2 °C higher than the average surface temperature of a GHE with a length of 100 m in August.