Analysis of borehole heat exchangers using a semi-analytical solution

Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) systems are increasingly being used an important source of renewable energy. One of the most important components of the GSHPs is the Ground Heat Exchangers (GHEs). Since the GHEs are probably the most expensive components of the system, there is a strong need to arrive at the most cost effective designs. To this end, we have proposed a semi-analytical solution to analyse the heat transfer in both U-Tube and Coaxial GHEs. The semi-analytical solution was validated against the data from both previously published experimental data and analytical solutions. The research presents the results of our studies on the performance evaluation of the GHEs having different materials and diameters. Given the most real-life operational environment, it was found that the short term performance of the GHEs is important when designing the GSHPs. The presentation will show the successful demonstration of the semi-analytical solution for the design and analysis of the GHEs.