Hybrid Ground-Source Heat Pump Installations: Experiences, Improvements, and Tools

Technical Report · Thu Jun 30 04:00:00 EDT 2011

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1021345· OSTI ID:1021345

Hackel, Scott ^[1]; Pertzborn, Amanda

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1. Energy Center of Wisconsin

One innovation to ground-source heat pump (GSHP, or GHP) systems is the hybrid GSHP (HyGSHP) system, which can dramatically decrease the first cost of GSHP systems by using conventional technology (such as a cooling tower or a boiler) to meet a portion of the peak heating or cooling load. This work uses three case studies (two cooling-dominated, one heating-dominated) to demonstrate the performance of the hybrid approach. Three buildings were studied for a year; the measured data was used to validate models of each system. The models were used to analyze further improvements to the hybrid approach, and establish that this approach has positive impacts, both economically and environmentally. Lessons learned by those who design and operate the systems are also documented, including discussions of equipment sizing, pump operation, and cooling tower control. Finally, the measured data sets and models that were created during this work are described; these materials have been made freely available for further study of hybrid systems.

• Research Organization: Energy Center of Wisconsin
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE EE Office of Geothermal Technologies (EE-2C)
• DOE Contract Number: EE0002944
• OSTI ID: 1021345
• Report Number(s): DOEEE00029442
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
BUILDINGS
CONTROL
COOLING LOAD
COOLING TOWERS
COST
DATA
DESIGN
EQUIPMENT
GROUND SOURCE HEAT PUMPS
HEATING
HYBRID SYSTEMS
OPERATION
PERFORMANCE
SIMULATION
SIZE