Ground-coupled heat pumps: Part 2—Literature review and research challenges in optimal design

Abstract

This paper is the second part of the paper on literature review and challenges in modelling and optimal control/optimal design of Ground-Coupled Heat Pump (GCHP) systems. The first part was “Ground-Coupled Heat Pumps: Part 1—Literature Review and Research Challenges in Modelling and Optimal Control”. In this second part, a detailed literature review of optimal design of GCHP systems and the associated research challenges are given. Since optimal design may require a model, a very short summary of modelling approaches is also given. More details on modelling and on research challenges can be found in the first part and hence these details will not be repeated here. As in the first part, we adopt the adage “a picture is worth a thousand words” and include a minimal number of representative schematics and result figures for some of the reviewed studies for clarity and a better understanding of the presented material. In addition to the literature review, we included our comments, points of view, alternative solutions and some potential future directions. This review paper is useful both for engineers and researchers involved in optimal design of GCHP systems.