Numerical Simulation And Analysis Of U-tube Ground Heat Exchanger Used In Ground Source Heat Pump

After reviewing of current articles about Ground Heat Exchanger (GHE) used in Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) system, the absence of 3-D model of GHE heat transferring can be concluded. In order to simulate the behavior of the U-tube GHE used in GSHP system, a pseudo 3D model which was based on coupling two lower dimensional models was developed in this paper. It aimed to provide technical support to GHE design and installation.Different from the treatment of general boundary condition, a heat exchange power function was introduced as the boundary condition for the inlet of the U-tube for the first time, and distance between the heat source and the center of the field was simplified by calculating a mean distance between them. Finite-volume-method was used to solve the control equations. The comparison between numerical and experimental result confirmed the validity of the model. Accuracy and responsive ability were improved in this model.The ground temperature distribution around the U-tube, the temperature along the U-tube at a specific time can be achieved by this model. Lastly, the influent factors of heat transferring of the GHE were discussed with the model in the paper.