Analysis of thermal performance and economy of ground source heat pump system: a case study of the large building

The ground source heat pump (GSHP) system is a widely used energy-saving system. In the study presented in this paper, the thermal performance of a GSHP system in the large building was monitored. The system heating temperature and humidity accord with human comfort index. Moreover, 1131 tons of standard coal and 4641 tons of CO2 emission can be saved. The results show that the ground source heat pump (GSHP) system of this large building has high efficiency and remarkable energy saving benefit. The economy of different heating modes in large buildings is compared. As a result, the solar energy coupled ground source heat pump system (SGSHP) was more economical up to the 13th year of operation, while the GSHP was more economical after the 13th year. The influence of ground heat exchanger (GHE) spacing on economy is further analyzed. The results show that the economic efficiency of SGSHP system will be reduced with the increase of GHE spacing. It was concluded that SGSHP was not suitable for long running heating systems in large buildings.