Parametric Study of Vertical Ground Loop Heat Exchangers for Ground Source Heat Pump Systems
Abstract
We report on a numerical study conducted to investigate the effect of various parameters on the heat exchange inside a vertical ground loop heat exchanger (VGLHE) for a ground-source heat pump (GSHP) system. The simulations were conducted for three piping configurations of the ground loop which were U-Tube, Concentric pipes and Spiral. The results show a linear temperature rise along the pipe length for the U-Tube configuration. The Concentric pipes configuration shows two distinct linear trends for the temperature rise; a slow temperature rise during the downward flow through the inner pipe and a higher temperature rise during the upflow through the annulus. The Spiral configuration shows a steeper slope for the temperature rise in the spiral section and almost a flat slope for the temperature rise in the straight vertical section of the pipe. The research also examines a simulation case of integrating a VGLHE inside of a micro-pile foundation system.