Ground source heat pump systems

Abstract

A Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) system is a type of energy system that usually consumes electricity to provide cooling and heating in buildings. The most outstanding feature of a GSHP is the use of ground resources, which distinguishes GSHPs from other heat pump systems. A GSHP may be considered as a "green" system, mainly because of its use of geothermal energy that, as a type of renewable energy, has enormous potential for reducing CO 2 emissions and fossil fuel consumption. In general, a higher system performance may be achieved by using a GSHP system compared with an air source heat pump system, due to the relatively small temperature variation of the ground compared with the ambient air. In a typical GSHP system, there are several main components: Indoor distribution systems and ground source heat exchangers along with the ground as a heat sink/source. The role of indoor distribution systems is to handle building cooling and heating loads by absorbing room heat gains or providing heat to rooms through indoor heat pump units. The thermal energy carried by heat pumps is distributed to the ground through ground source heat exchangers buried underground or to the building through pipes/ducts. In this chapter, in-depth discussions regarding GSHP systems are given including the topics of geothermal resources, ground source heat exchangers, indoor distribution systems, heat storage technologies of GSHP systems, as well as their economics and environmental impacts. Additionally, the most updated concepts, designs, and technologies for GSHPs are covered in this chapter.