The installation potential of ground-source heat pump (GSHP) systems has been studied based on the spatial interpolation of numerical simulation results using ground heat exchanger (GHE) models. This study is the first to create an estimation formula for the heat exchange rate (HER) to obtain a solution equivalent to the numerical analysis results considering the average method when supplying three-dimensional (3D) hydrogeological information that affects the HER to a two-dimensional (2D) map. It was found that the main factors affecting the HER were groundwater flow velocity, subsurface temperature, and thermal conductivity. The response surface methodology was utilized to approximate the HER using the above-mentioned three parameters. The estimated HER showed very strong agreement with that calculated by the GHE models. The application of the estimation formula to the simulation of the 3D groundwater flow and heat transport model of the Sendai Plain (Japan) better reflects the hydrogeological information of the regional model than conventional maps. The proposed method improves the spatial resolution of maps and allows for the easy creation of the HER estimation formula.
The cooling and heating of spaces are among the largest sources for household's energy demand. Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) is a promising technology to reduce the energy for cooling and heating purposes. However, the major obstacle hindering the utilization of this technology is the high initial cost, especially for the installation of ground coupled heat exchanger. The horizontal closed-loop system offers lower installation cost, as it requires no vertical borehole construction. Instead, the heat exchangers can be installed in shallow trenches that may be excavated, by small excavator or even by human labor. This paper presents the comparison of two different heat exchangers, namely, the capillary mat and the widely used slinky pipe. Both heat exchangers are connected to a heat pump, where continuous heating tests were carried out for 165 hours (~7 days) for each configuration. The purpose of this research is to show the performance of capillary mat in comparison to slinky pipe. Despite during the entire test for capillary mat required 6% higher electricity consumption, compared to slinky heat exchanger, the results still suggest the potential use of capillary mat as alternative to slinky heat exchanger. Additionally, the results also highlight the high hydraulic resistance of installed capillary mat heat exchangers may become the major disadvantage of the capillary mat.
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