Ground thermal response to borehole ground heat exchangers

Abstract

Ground heat exchangers (GHEs) are the elements of ground source heat pump (GSHP) systems that provide thermal interactions with the ground. Closed-loop borehole GHEs are commonly used for GSHP systems in urban areas where land availability can be limited. The installation costs of borehole GHEs are usually the largest component of the capital costs of GSHP systems. More research, including experimental studies, into GHEs can improve GHE design and reduce their costs. This paper presents the first findings of a full-scale experimental study of the ground thermal response to a 120kW commercial GSHP system in Melbourne, Australia. The system uses twenty-eight 50m deep borehole GHEs to interact ..