Influence of ground heat exchanger modelling on the predicted efficiency of the heat pump system

This paper presents simulations of the integral coefficients of performance of a heat pump system coupled with a vertical ground heat exchanger (GHE). The GHE is simulated using different assumptions concerning the heat transfer in the ground, heat exchange between the ground and the brine and vertical variation of the brine temperature. The differences in the predicted performance coefficients of the heat pump system using the GHE as the lower energy source are analysed and shown to be significant.