Numerical simulations of ground-coupled heat pumps combined with thermal solar collectors

This paper presents the numerical study of a solar-assisted ground-source heat pump system for building heating and the production of domestic hot water. An experimental study has been carried out and has allowed to validate the numerical model of the process. Two variants of the process are studied. These two variants use the solar energy for the domestic hot water (DHW) heating and for the injection of heat into the ground. In addition, the first variant also uses solar energy to heat the building thanks to a direct solar floor (DSF) and has a solar collector's surface more important. While taking into account the electric consumption of the circulation pumps, results show that the global electric consumptions of these two variants are identical and have a value equal to 31 kWh per square meter of building surface. Nevertheless, with heat injected into the ground which represents 54% of the heat extracted, the first variant can be a solution to better balance the thermal ground loads.