Feasibility and investigation of residential HVAC system with combined ground source heat pump and solar thermal collectors in different climates of Iran

Geoexchange is one of the most energy-efficient, environmentally clean, and cost-effective space-conditioning systems available on the market. Seasonal storage of solar energy in geothermal boreholes is sharply interesting as a means of heating and cooling in buildings with different applications. In this study, a closed-loop geo-exchange and solar thermal system with two different heat exchangers are examined in an energy-efficient house. TRNSYS, a simulation software tool, was used to model the yearly performance of the hybrid ground-source heat pump (GSHP) system. Two different types of ground heat exchangers, e.g., tube-in-tube and U-tube were employed. The mass flow rate through the heat exchangers and the solar collector was examined to choose the best scenario for each of them. The economic benefits of a gray water heat recovery system and solar collector were studied; the results show that 517 and 536 US Dollars/Year can be saved from each of them, respectively. System performance analysis was carried out in different cities with various climates in Iran. Moreover, a complete economic assessment was evaluated for all cases. The results show that for the same inlet water temperature to GSHP, the tube-in-tube heat exchanger can pass 45% more flow than the U-tube heat exchanger for the same size as the HP. Furthermore, in the absence of the solar collector, a 2.7 × 108 kJ increase was conducted in the auxiliary heater component yearly. Finally, four different climates were evaluated for the launching of the GSHP system with a solar thermal collector. The hot and dry climate with 27°C fluid inlet to a heat pump, a total borehole depth of 220 meters, and an initial cost of $ 25,047 was selected as the most appropriate weather conditions for launching the system in Iran.