Experimental study of a solar-assisted ground-coupled heat pump system with solar seasonal thermal storage in severe cold areas

This paper presents the experimental study of a solar-assisted ground-coupled heat pump system (SAGCHPS) with solar seasonal thermal storage installed in a detached house in Harbin. The solar seasonal thermal storage was conducted throughout the non-heating seasons. In summer, the soil was used as the heat sink to cool the building directly. In winter, the solar energy was used as a priority, and the building was heated by a ground-coupled heat pump (GCHP) and solar collectors alternately. The results show that the system can meet the heating–cooling energy needs of the building. In the heating mode, the heat directly supplied by solar collectors accounted for 49.7% of the total heating output, and the average coefficient of performance (COP) of the heat pump and the system were 4.29 and 6.55, respectively. In the cooling mode, the COP of the system reached 21.35, as the heat pump was not necessary to be started. After a year of operation, the heat extracted from the soil by the heat pump accounted for 75.5% of the heat stored by solar seasonal thermal storage. The excess heat raised the soil temperature to a higher level, which was favorable for increasing the COP of the heat pump.

Research highlights▶ The solar seasonal thermal storage was conducted throughout the non-heating seasons. ▶ In summer, the soil was used as the heat sink to cool the building directly. ▶ In winter, the building was heated by a GCHP and solar collectors alternately. ▶ In the heating mode, the average COP of the heat pump was 4.29. ▶ In the cooling mode, the average COP of the system reached 21.35.