Design and energy performance of a ground plate heat exchanger coupled with an heat pump system

Ground coupled heat pump systems (GCHP) are a good alternative to traditional systems for heating and cooling buildings. A large number of ground coupled heat pump systems have been used in residential and commercial buildings throughout the world due to the attractive advantages of high efficiency and environmental friendliness and a wide range of system configuration is available today. One of the main aspects that affect GCHP performance is due to the effectiveness of the heat transfer process between the heat exchanger and the surrounding ground. The aim of this paper is to design and assess the energy performance of a particular horizontal ground heat exchanger characterized by a plate shape. Through a software simulation its influence on the ground is studied and its application to a real case study is evaluated. Finally, hints about technical and economic advantages and drawbacks of this technology are put on evidence.