Performance analysis and parametric study of thermal energy storage in an aquifer coupled with a heat pump and solar collectors, for a residential complex in Tehran, Iran

Abstract Aquifers are underground porous formations containing water. Confined aquifers are the formations surrounded by two impermeable layers, called cap rocks and bed rocks. These aquifers are suitable for seasonal thermal energy storage. In the present study, a confined aquifer was considered to meet the cooling and heating energy needs of a residential complex located in Tehran, Iran. Three different alternatives were analyzed in this aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES), including: using ATES for cooling alone, for cooling and heating, as a heat pump, and for heating alone, employing flat plate solar energy collectors. A numerical simulation, based on the finite difference method, was carried out for velocity and temperature distributions as well as the heat transfer in the aquifer. The thermal energy recovery factor and the annual coefficient of performance of the system were determined under various schemes of operation, revealing that the combination of the ATES with the heat pump, to meet both cooling and heating needs of the complex, is the best. The study was repeated for different aquifer properties.

[1]  Ibrahim Dincer,et al.  Thermodynamic analyses and assessments of various thermal energy storage systems for buildings , 2012 .

[2]  H. Yeh,et al.  Modelling transient temperature distribution for injecting hot water through a well to an aquifer thermal energy storage system , 2010 .

[3]  K. Lee.  Numerical Simulation on the Continuous Operation of Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage System , 2010 .

[4]  Halime Paksoy,et al.  Aquifer thermal storage (ATES) for air-conditioning of a supermarket in Turkey , 2004 .

[5]  George A. Zyvoloski,et al.  Model study of the thermal storage system by FEHM code , 2003 .

[6]  Ibrahim Dincer,et al.  Energetic, environmental and economic aspects of thermal energy storage systems for cooling capacity , 2001 .

[7]  D. S. Ward,et al.  Numerical Simulation of Thermal Energy Storage Experiment Conducted by Auburn University , 1982 .

[8]  Yang Yao,et al.  A model of groundwater seepage and heat transfer for single-well ground source heat pump systems , 2011 .

[9]  K. Lee.  Performance of open borehole thermal energy storage system under cyclic flow regime , 2008 .

[10]  Chin Fu Tsang,et al.  AQUIFER THERMAL ENERGY STORAGE-A SURVEY , 2012 .

[11]  Peter Lund,et al.  Modeling and simulation of aquifer storage energy systems , 1994 .

[12]  Ibrahim Dincer,et al.  A perspective on thermal energy storage systems for solar energy applications , 1996 .

[13]  Kun Sang Lee,et al.  A Review on Concepts, Applications, and Models of Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage Systems , 2010 .

[14]  C. W. Chan,et al.  A review of chemical heat pumps, thermodynamic cycles and thermal energy storage technologies for low grade heat utilisation , 2013 .

[15]  Yuying Yan,et al.  Numerical simulation of the thermal interaction between pumping and injecting well groups , 2013 .

[16]  Hans Müller-Steinhagen,et al.  Central solar heating plants with seasonal heat storage , 2010 .

[17]  Shi-jun You,et al.  Coupled seepage and heat transfer intake model , 2009 .

[18]  Youngseuk Keehm,et al.  Numerical modeling of aquifer thermal energy storage system , 2010 .

[19]  W. Schaetzle,et al.  Thermal energy storage in aquifers: Design and applications , 1980 .

[20]  H. Yeh,et al.  An analytical solution for describing the transient temperature distribution in an aquifer thermal energy storage system , 2010 .

[21]  Göran Hellström,et al.  Heating and cooling with UTES in Sweden : current situation and potential market development , 2003 .

[22]  M. C. Matthews,et al.  Aquifer thermal energy storage: theoretical and operational analysis , 2009 .

[23]  Hans Hoes,et al.  An aquifer thermal storage system in a Belgian hospital: Long-term experimental evaluation of energy , 2011 .