Evaluation of the performance of a ground-source heat-pump system with series GHE (ground heat exchanger) in the cold climate region

Ground-source heat-pump systems provide a new and clean way of heating buildings in the world. They make use of renewable energy stored in the ground, providing one of the most energy-efficient ways of heating buildings. Consumption costs are lowered through the use of free energy from the environment, and the dependence on fossil fuels simultaneously reduces. The aim of this study is to evaluate the performance of vertical ground-source heat-pump system for climatic condition of Erzurum having cold climate in Turkey. For this purpose, an experimental set-up was constructed. The experimental apparatus consisted of a series GHE (ground heat exchanger), a liquid-to-liquid vapor compression heat pump, water circulating pumps and other measurement equipments. in this study, the performance of the system was experimentally investigated. The experimental results were obtained from October to May for the months of heating season of 2008-2009. The experimental results indicate that the average heat-pump COP and overall system's COPS values are approximately 3.0 and 2.6 in the coldest months of heating season. This study also shows that this system could be used for residential heating in the province of Erzurum being a cold climate region of Turkey. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.