Effect of a Cumulative Cold and Heat Load Ratio on Hybrid Ground-Source Heat Pump System Performance Parameters

Abstract

The imbalance in cold and heat load in large public buildings located in a cooling-dominated areas is apparent. To explore the effect of a cumulative cold and heat load ratio (CCHLR) on the performance parameters of the hybrid ground-source heat pump system (HGSHPS) of large public buildings, this study selects a Wuhan office building as the simulation object. When this model is considered as the prototype, five other building models whose CCHLR interval is relatively uniform can be developed. The full-year dynamic loads of the six models were calculated with Designer’s Simulation Toolkits. The 20-year simulation of the six HGSHPS models was conducted with TRNSYS. Then, the performance parameters of the HGSHPS model under different CCHLR values were studied and compared. These parameters included the average soil temperature, exiting fluid temperature (ExFT) of the ground heat exchanger (GHE), average energy efficiency ratio, and specific energy consumption (the electrical energy required to obtain per kilowatt cooling or heating capacity) of the heat pump system. Simulation results indicated that with the increase in CCHLR, the average soil temperature rapidly increases, the ExFT of the GHE increases to a value that is considerably higher than the suggested standard, and the specific energy consumption of the system increases.