Climate change stabilization requires an unprecedented effort to change our current approach to energy production and consumption. While rising energy prices are drawing increased attention to reducing energy demand, heightened concern about the environmental consequences of fuel choice requires that this demand be met at lower emission levels. In Canada, the realization of commitments to our GHG emission goals entails reducing residential energy use - a sector responsible for close to 20 percent of end-use energy consumption. This study focuses on the energy demand and emission levels of space and water heating, since these two components comprise 76 percent of residential energy demand. Ground source heat pumps (GSHPs) are a technology that provides heating at 25 to 30 percent of the energy consumed by even the most efficient conventional alternatives. GSHPs have been identified as the most energy-efficient, environmentally clean, and cost-effective space conditioning systems available. However, their drawbacks have been high capital costs, and uncertainty about whether the electric power used by heat pumps has higher system-wide emissions. This thesis delineates how adoption of GSHPs in the residential sector can help align Canada’s technology choices with commitments made to the Kyoto Protocol. The manuscripts delineate conditions under which GSHP systems achieve the largest net emission reductions relative natural gas, heating oil, and electric heat counterparts. Electricity generation methods and emissions embodied in inter-provincial and international electricity trade are shown to significantly affect the emission savings achievable through GSHP. The thesis quantifies how relative fuel prices influence annual operating savings that determine how rapidly the technology can achieve payback. This analysis reveals GSHPs to hold significant potential for substantial GHG reductions at a cost savings relative to conventional alternatives; the time horizons for payback are as short as nine years for average-sized homes, and significantly shorter for larger homes.

Climate change stabilization requires an unprecedented effort to change our current approach to energy production and consumption. While rising energy prices are drawing increased attention to reducing energy demand, heightened concern about the environmental consequences of fuel choice requires that this demand be met at lower emission levels. In Canada, the realization of commitments to our GHG emission goals entails reducing residential energy use - a sector responsible for close to 20 percent of end-use energy consumption. This study focuses on the energy demand and emission levels of space and water heating, since these two components comprise 76 percent of residential energy demand. Ground source heat pumps (GSHPs) are a technology that provides heating at 25 to 30 percent of the energy consumed by even the most efficient conventional alternatives. GSHPs have been identified as the most energy-efficient, environmentally clean, and cost-effective space conditioning systems available. However, their drawbacks have been high capital costs, and uncertainty about whether the electric power used by heat pumps has higher system-wide emissions. This thesis delineates how adoption of GSHPs in the residential sector can help align Canada’s technology choices with commitments made to the Kyoto Protocol. The manuscripts delineate conditions under which GSHP systems achieve the largest net emission reductions relative natural gas, heating oil, and electric heat counterparts. Electricity generation methods and emissions embodied in inter-provincial and international electricity trade are shown to significantly affect the emission savings achievable through GSHP. The thesis quantifies how relative fuel prices influence annual operating savings that determine how rapidly the technology can achieve payback. This analysis reveals GSHPs to hold significant potential for substantial GHG reductions at a cost savings relative to conventional alternatives; the time horizons for payback are as short as nine years for average-sized homes, and significantly shorter for larger homes.

Climate change stabilization requires an unprecedented effort to change our current approach to energy production and consumption. While rising energy prices are drawing increased attention to reducing energy demand, heightened concern about the environmental consequences of fuel choice requires that this demand be met at lower emission levels. In Canada, the realization of commitments to our GHG emission goals entails reducing residential energy use - a sector responsible for close to 20 percent of end-use energy consumption. This study focuses on the energy demand and emission levels of space and water heating, since these two components comprise 76 percent of residential energy demand. Ground source heat pumps (GSHPs) are a technology that provides heating at 25 to 30 percent of the energy consumed by even the most efficient conventional alternatives. GSHPs have been identified as the most energy-efficient, environmentally clean, and cost-effective space conditioning systems available. However, their drawbacks have been high capital costs, and uncertainty about whether the electric power used by heat pumps has higher system-wide emissions. This thesis delineates how adoption of GSHPs in the residential sector can help align Canada’s technology choices with commitments made to the Kyoto Protocol. The manuscripts delineate conditions under which GSHP systems achieve the largest net emission reductions relative natural gas, heating oil, and electric heat counterparts. Electricity generation methods and emissions embodied in inter-provincial and international electricity trade are shown to significantly affect the emission savings achievable through GSHP. The thesis quantifies how relative fuel prices influence annual operating savings that determine how rapidly the technology can achieve payback. This analysis reveals GSHPs to hold significant potential for substantial GHG reductions at a cost savings relative to conventional alternatives; the time horizons for payback are as short as nine years for average-sized homes, and significantly shorter for larger homes. / Science, Faculty of / Resources, Environment and Sustainability (IRES), Institute for / Graduate

GSHP (Ground source heat pump), uses geothermal energy which is a form of green and sustainable energy.  Geothermal energy is also a continuous source of energy, unlike wind energy. The results from this thesis work will be applicable for both GSHP that are being used for space heating, and the ones which have a bottom organic Rankine cycle. The bottom organic Rankine cycle and continuous energy production of GSHP make it a potential source for electricity generation.  The GSHP is of various types, in regard to the configuration of the pipe and their setup in the ground and also based on their grouting. In this study only vertical GSHP and with a single u-tube and water filled grout will be analyzed. The GSHP performance is based on a number of parameters including, the depth of the heat exchanging unit in the ground, other key dimensions of the unit like diameter and outer wall thickness, the fluid flow, and the type of working fluid. Therefore it becomes necessary to study the effect of all of these parameters individually and their individual effect on the energy output and the performance of the BHE. One of the thesis objectives is to establish a sensitivity analysis of the BHE based on the above mention parameters and then further optimize the design with the heat enhancement devices. The major findings of this thesis work are how shank spacing (spacing between the inlet and the outlet pipe) affects the heat transfer in the BHE. The shank spacing seems to reduce the energy output of the GSHP, this is contrary to the high conductive solid grout, where the shank spacing doesn't affect the BHE so much. The diameter of the BHE in the water-filled grout has a completely opposite effect from the solid grout. Increasing the depth of the BHE after a certain length only increases the entropy of the system which reduces the energy output. The working fluid with a higher Prandtl number helps in higher energy output. The optimization results suggest that having a deeper borehole is not very energy efficient in spite of the greater thermal gradient available at a higher depth.

Yes / The performance of Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) systems for domestic use is an increasing area of study in the UK. This paper examines the thermal performance of three bespoke shallow horizontal GSHP systems installed in newly built residential houses in the North of England against a control house which was fitted with a standard gas boiler. A total of 350 metres of High Density Polyethylene pipe with an external diameter of 40 mm was used for each house as a heat pump loop. The study investigated (i) the performance of a single loop horizontal Ground Heat Exchanger (GHE) against a double loop GHE and (ii) rainfall effects on heat extraction by comparing a system with an infiltration trench connected to roof drainage against a system without an infiltration trench above the ground loops. Parameters monitored for a full year from October 2013 to September 2014. Using the double GHE has shown an enhanced performance of up to 20% compared with single GHE. The infiltration trench is found to improve performance of the heat pumps; the double loop GHE system with an infiltration trench had a COP 5% higher than that of the double loop GHE system without a trench.

The performance of ground-source heat pump (GSHP) systems can be negatively affected over time by soil temperature degradation of boreholes (BH) in heating dominated climates. Land area is scarce in the dense urban environments typical of multi-family houses (MFH) and can lead to accelerated degradation- in tight BH fields. Heat extracted from photovoltaic thermal collectors (PVT) can help with BH regeneration; thus, limiting degradation. Additionally, free cooling (FC) is proposed in this study to tackle the anticipated cooling demandi ncrease in Sweden, while resolving the listed challenges of GSHP systems. A novel multi-source (MS) system integrating FC, PVT and GSHP together shall be investigated in this study. Firstly, implementing FC in a GSHP system for the scenario considered only provided marginal regeneration of the BH in the longterm. Both the SPF4+ and total life cycle cost (TLCC) of an FC+GSHP and GSHPsystem remained virtually constant. Furthermore, operation interference of FC and PVT in the MS system can be mitigated by considering their relative location in the system. In this study, cooling is the priority, thus placing the FC system after the BH field but before the PVT system in the brine loop is recommended. In that case, only 0.56% of the annual cooling is not delivered due to FC operation interference and the PVT thermal yield is decreased on average by 3.52%. By decreasing the BH spacing from 15 to 5 m, a slight SPF4+ increase to 3.22 is possible in a system with FC and 48 PVT collectors. With a sensitivity analysis it was shown that if a 15% decrease is achieved in electricity prices then the TLCC of this system can be lower than the TLCC of 2.13 MSEK for a GSHP system. / Prestandan hos ytjordvärmepump (GSHP) kan påverkas negativt över tid av försämrad marktemperatur i borrhål (BH) i klimat som domineras av uppvärmning. I täta stadsmiljöer med flerfamiljshus (MFH) är markytan knapp, vilket kan leda till accelererad nedbrytning i trånga BH-fält. Värme som utvinns från solfångare (PVT) kan bidra till regenerering av BH, vilket begränsar nedbrytningen. Dessutom föreslås frikyla (FC) i denna studie för att hantera den förväntade ökningen av kylbehovet i Sverige, samtidigt som man löser de listade utmaningarna med GSHP-system. Ett nytt multikällsystem (MS) som integrerar FC, PVT och GSHP tillsammans ska undersökas i denna studie. För det första gav implementeringen av FC i ett GSHP-system för det aktuella scenariot endast marginell regenerering av BH på lång sikt. Både SPF4+ och den totala livscykelkostnaden (TLCC) för ett FC+GSHP och GSHP-system förblev praktiskt taget konstant. Dessutom kan driftstörningar från FC och PVT i MS-systemet minskas genom att ta hänsyn till deras relativa placering i systemet. I denna studie prioriteras kylning, och därför rekommenderas att FC-systemet placeras efter BH-fältet men före PVT-systemet i brineslingan. Endast 0.56% av den årliga kylningen levereras inte på grund av störningar i FC-driften och PVT:s värmeutbyte minskar i genomsnitt med 3.52%. Genom att minska BH-avståndet från 15 till 5 m är en liten ökning av SPF4+ till 3.22 möjlig i ett system med FC och 48 PVT-kollektorer. En känslighetsanalys visade att om elpriserna minskar med 15% kan TLCC för detta system bli lägre än TLCC på 2.13 MSEK för ett GSHP-system.

Ground source heat pumps (GSHPs) offer an efficient method for cooling and heating buildings, reducing energy usage and operating cost. In hot, arid regions such as Texas and the southwest United States, building load imbalance towards cooling causes design and performance challenges to GSHP systems in residential and commercial building applications. An integrated building load and GSHP model is developed in this thesis to test approaches to reduce GSHP cost, to properly size ground heat exchanger (GHEX) installations and to offer methods to improve GSHP performance in commercial buildings. The integrated model is comprised of a three-story office building, heat pumps, air handling system and a GHEX. These component models were integrated in the Matlab® Simulink® modeling environment, which allows for easy model modification and expansion. The building-load model was developed in HAMBASE, which simulates the thermal and hygric response of each zone in the building to external weather and internal loads. The building-load model was validated using the ASHRAE 140-2007 Standard Method of Test and with results from EnergyPlus. The heat pump model was developed as a performance map, based on data commonly provided by heat pump manufacturers. This approach allows for easy expansion of the number and type of heat pump models supported. The GHEX model was developed at Oklahoma State University and is based on Eskilson’s g-function model of vertical borehole operation. The GHEX model accurately represents the interaction between boreholes and the ground temperature response over short and long time-intervals. The GHEX model uses GLHEPRO files for parameter inputs. Long time-interval simulations of the integrated model are provided to assess the sensitivity of the GSHP system to various model parameters. These studies show that: small changes in the total GHEX length reduce system cost with minimal impact on performance; increased borehole spacing improves system performance with no additional cost; supplemental heat rejection reduces installation costs and improves system performance; industry-recommended design cutoff temperatures properly size the GHEX system; and, while cooling is the greatest contributor to operating cost in the southwest and southcentral United States, heating is the limiting design case for GHEX sizing. / text

Mr Wayne Tobeck, Director of Southrim Group (SRG), sponsored this 2013 MEM Project titled; A Technical and Economic Feasibility Study for the Integration of GSHP Technology in the Christchurch Rebuild. Following the recent Christchurch earthquakes, a significant amount of land has become too unstable to support traditional building foundations. This creates an opportunity to implement new and unique foundation designs previously unconsidered due to high costs compared to traditional methods. One such design proposes that an Injection Micro-Piling technique could be used. This can also be coupled with HVAC technology to create a Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) arrangement in both new buildings and as retrofits for building requiring foundation repair. The purpose of this study was to complete a feasibility study on the merits of SRG pursuing this proposed product. A significant market for such a product was found to exist, while the product was also found to be technically and legally feasible. However, the proposed product was found to not be economically feasible with respect to Air Source Heat Pumps due to the significantly higher capital and installation costs required. Further analysis suggests GSHPs may become more economically attractive in operating temperatures lower than -9oC, though the existence of markets with this climate in NZ has not been studied. It is therefore suggested that SRG do not proceed with plans to develop a GSHP coupled foundation solution for the Christchurch rebuild.

In this research paper, review of world geothermal energy production and their capacity is shown. Here, a research is conducted to know the potential and possibility of geothermal energy in India. All the geothermal province with their geographical locations are shown and a brief calculation is conducted in order to show the potential of the particular province. As India is having the low temperature geothermal fields, binary geothermal plants are used for this analysis and results are calculated by using R134a as a working fluid at different temperatures. The results are sufficient to prove the potential of geothermal energy in India.  Importance of Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) and power savings by its contribution over traditional heating and cooling methods is shown statistically. 9 different states of India are divided by their climatic condition, severe winter and moderate winter to calculate the heat demand in those states. Also, for the cold demands these states are considered to be same as per the climatic situation in summer. Then, comparison is done between GSHP and the traditional heating and cooling systems. The result shows the drastic power saving by using GSHP for space heating as well as cooling, over electric heater and air conditioner respectively.

Ground source heat pumps (GSHP) have the ability to significantly reduce the energy required to heat and cool buildings. Historically, deployment of GSHP's in the cooling-dominated Texas and Southwest region has been significantly less than in other regions of the United States. The long term technical and economic viability of GSHPs in arid regions such as Texas has been questioned due to failures of ground loop heat pump systems by early adopters. A proposed solution is to include a supplemental heat rejection (SHR) device to help offset the unbalanced ground loads. An integrated building load-ground source heat pump model is developed in this thesis and is designed to be a test bed for potential SHR devices. The model consists of discrete component models that can be mixed and matched to represent various types of buildings and ground source heat pumps. One of the unique features of the integrated model is the use of the Simulink/Matlab environment. This environment allows the user to develop component models that take advantage of the built-in functionality of Matlab and Simulink. Another unique feature is the full coupling of the building load, heat pump, and ground loop at every time step. The building load, heat pump, and ground loop models were chosen to allow for short time step simulations, which allows for a range of dynamic response times to be modeled and for different heat pump/SHR control methods to be explored. The integrated model can be used on any computer that has the Matlab and Simulink software. The building load model used, called HAMBASE, can model both residential and commercial buildings. HAMBASE was validated using the ASHRAE 140-2007 standard. The heat pump model uses readily available data provided by GSHP manufacturers to accurately model operation across a wide range of input conditions. The vertical borehole ground loop model, developed at Oklahoma State University, is based on Eskillson's g-function model, but included a one-dimensional numerical model to calculate the short term thermal response of the borehole and ground. The ground loop model utilizes GLHEPRO, a ground loop sizing and simulation tool, to create the required parameter files. Using the integrated building load-ground source heat pump model, a model of a single family house with a ground source heat pump was developed. The house model was validated by the results from eQuest and GELHPRO. A series of sensitivity studies were completed to determine dominant factors affecting the use of GSHPs in Texas and the Southwest regions of the United States. The results show that the life of a vertical borehole can be significantly extended/cut short if the ground parameters are properly/not properly designed prior to ground loop sizing. / text