Optimizing the Performance of Geothermal Heat Pump System for Use in the Domestic

Optimizing the Performance of GHPS 1
OPTIMIZING THE PERFORMANCE OF GEOTHERMAL HEAT PUMP SYSTEM FOR USE
IN THE DOMESTIC
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Optimizing the Performance of GHPS 2
Table of Contents
1. Project Summary..................................................................................................... 2
2. Project Details......................................................................................................... 2
2.1. Introductory Background....................................................................................2
2.2. Research Questions............................................................................................ 4
2.3. Aims/Objectives of the Project..........................................................................5
2.3.1. Aim.......................................................................................................... 5
2.3.2. Objectives.................................................................................................. 5
2.4. Significance/Contribution to the Discipline.............................................................5
2.5. Theoretical Framework and Methods....................................................................7
3. Research Plan and Timeline and Contents....................................................................8
References............................................................................................................. 10
1. Project Summary
Use of geothermal heat pump system (GHPS), which can be combined with the conventional
heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system, is one of the innovative approaches

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that can help to reduce domestic energy consumption. The integrated system of GHPS and
HVAC system can increase the efficiency of conventional HVAC system by 40% or more
(Corberan, et al., 2018), meaning that its energy consumption can also be reduced by almost
a similar percentage. The proposed research aim is to investigate the integration of GHPS to
Australia’s current infrastructure to provide heating/cooling comfort in buildings. The expected
outcomes from the research include finding optimal configuration of GHPS, increasing
efficiency of HVAC coupled with GHPS, reducing soil thermal imbalance, and finding optimal
material that can withstand external load of a GHPS.
2. Project Details
2.1. Introductory Background
Energy consumption in Australia has been increasing gradually over the years and the same
trend is projected to remain in the coming years, considering population growth and economic
development. In 2016-17, Australia’s energy consumption was 6,146 petajoules (PJ) (a 1.1%
increases from the previous year), the population was 24.6 million people (a 1.7% increase from
the previous year), and the economy reached $1.7 trillion (a 2% increase from the previous year)
(Department of the Environment and Energy, 2018). The increased energy consumption
obviously means increased energy production. In 2016-17, total energy production in Australia
was 17,957 PJ (a 4% increase from the previous year). Commercial and residential buildings
accounted for 18.9% of energy consumption in Australia in 2016-17, and space heating and
cooling is estimated to account for more than 40% of total energy consumed by buildings in
Australia. One of the unfortunate things is that non-renewable energy still accounts for the
biggest percentage of energy production and consumption in Australia, translating to large
volumes of greenhouse gas emissions. As a result of climate change, it is expected that energy

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consumption in buildings will continue rising due to increased heating and cooling load.
Therefore greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production, supply and use of energy in
buildings are also on the rise. This means that any product, system, method, solution or project
aimed increasing energy efficiency and reducing energy consumption and costs is worthwhile.
One of such solutions is GHPS.
A geothermal heat pump (GHP) (also referred to as ground source heat pump) is a central
heating/cooling system that is designed to transfer heat (or thermal energy) from the ground or
ground water to the building or other structure that is being heated and also transfer excess heat
(or thermal energy) from the building or other structure back to the ground or ground water. Just
as the name implies, the main heat source of a geothermal heat pump is the earth. Geothermal is
a renewable source of heat energy that is available for free and its supply is unlimited. Therefore
GHPS is a cost effective, energy efficient and eco-friendly solution for heating and cooling needs
in buildings (Cocchi, et al., 2013).
Several studies have been conducted by different researchers and shown that GHPS is
gradually gaining popularity and wide acceptance globally due to its high efficiency,
environmental friendliness and cost effectiveness (Lei, et al., 2018). However, there is still
need to optimize the performance of GHPS. Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
(2019) postulated that the performance of GHPS can be improved using mathematical concepts
and computational techniques, which help to come up with the best designs and specifications of
GHPS. A study by Lu, et al. (2017) showed that the popularity and implementation of GHPS in
Australia can be increased by developing GHPS optimization principles that suit the heating and
cooling needs of the Australian climate. This study was prompted by the limited implementation
of GHPS in Australia mainly due to high capital cost, limited consumer confidence in this new