Energy Analysis of a Dual-Source Heat Pump Coupled with Phase Change Materials

Michele Bottarelli and Francisco Javier González Gallero
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Michele Bottarelli: Department of Architecture, University of Ferrara, Via Quartieri 8, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
Francisco Javier González Gallero: Escuela Politécnica Superior de Algeciras, University of Cádiz, Avenida Ramón Puyol, s/n, 11202 Algeciras, Spain

Energies, 2020, vol. 13, issue 11, 1-17

Abstract: Installation costs of ground heat exchangers (GHEs) make the technology based on ground-coupled heat pumps (GCHPs) less competitive than air source heat pumps for space heating and cooling in mild climates. A smart solution is the dual source heat pump (DSHP) which switches between the air and ground to reduce frosting issues and save the system against extreme temperatures affecting air-mode. This work analyses the coupling of DSHP with a flat-panel (FP) horizontal GHE (HGHE) and a mixture of sand and phase change materials (PCMs). From numerical simulations and considering the energy demand of a real building in Northern Italy, different combinations of heat pumps (HPs) and trench backfill material were compared. The results show that PCMs always improve the performance of the systems, allowing a further reduction of the size of the geothermal facility. Annual average heat flux at FP is four times higher when coupled with the DSHP system, due to the lower exploitation. Furthermore, the enhanced dual systems are able to perform well during extreme weather conditions for which a sole air source heat pump (ASHP) system would be unable either to work or perform efficiently. Thus, the DSHP and HGHE with PCMs are robust and resilient alternatives for air conditioning.

Keywords: shallow geothermal system; dual source heat pump; phase change materials; numerical simulations (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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