Energy balancing in ground heat exchanger for heat pump systems - A case study with simulations

Abstract

The negative impact of systems based on fossil fuel on the environment and the desire to promote sustainable development is increasingly encouraging building owners to invest in renewable energy sources. One of the possibilities of using a renewable energy source located in shallow soil layers is a brine-to-water heat pump. Ground energy can be used for both heating and cooling buildings. This article presents the advantages of balancing the supply and energy consumption from the ground for the large heat pump systems. Authors presented a case study and the simulation of the system operation with different cooling load share vs heating load. This was done on the basis of the analysis of data from several years of measurements from the actual installation as well as the simulation in Earth Energy Designer software. The results of the simulations shows that the most advantageous strategy for the operation of the analysed installation is to provide 50 to 75% of the cooling load in relation to the heating load.