Presentation No 181 – Simplified ground-source heat pump models for predicting heat extraction – 14th IEA Heat Pump Conference, Chicago, USA
Simplified heat pump models are needed for design of ground heat exchangers used with ground-source heat pump systems. Design engineers commonly have only manufacturer’s data with which to construct a heat pump model that can predict heat extraction given building heating load. Earlier work has used simple polynomials to predict the ratio of heat extraction to heating. Unfortunately, manufacturers’ catalog data do not always provide sufficient support to calculate the polynomial coefficients. Therefore, in the absence of experimental data, there is a need for simplified and acceptably accurate models exploiting a limited number of operating points. This paper presents a study of available manufacturers’ data in North American and European markets. The available data vary from country-to-country, depending on the standards in use in each country. Then, a range of models are investigated, characterizing the results by the required inputs and the root mean square error. Results show acceptable accuracy of the models when compared to catalog data and allow providing recommendations on models to be used or avoided, depending on the available data.