Experimental Investigation of Energy-Saving Potential of Ground Source Heat Pump During Peak Hour Operations

Ground-source heat pump (GSHP) systems have emerged as energy-efficient alternate systems for the conventional Air-Source Air-Conditioning (ASAC) systems for space heating and cooling applications. GSHPs have gained widespread popularity globally and are extensively utilized in residential and commercial buildings. However, in countries like India where both space cooling and heating are required, it becomes essential to evaluate the performance of the GSHP system, especially during peak-hour operation to estimate peak load energy demand. This research paper tries to identify the energy efficiency of the GSHP system during peak-hour operations in comparison to the ASAC system using experimental techniques. Experimental trials were conducted in a laboratory equipped with a single unit of 17.58 kW cooling/heating capacity GSHP system and a 17.57 kW cooling/heating ASAC system (two units of 7.023 kW and 10.548 kW). Experimental trials were conducted in peak summer in the month of June for cooling mode operation and January for heating mode operation for Roorkee weather conditions in the northern part of India. The performance of both systems was compared by defining instantaneous coefficient of performance (COP) and cyclic COP. The instantaneous COP was found to be higher for both the systems during peak-hour cooling and heating mode operations. Energy-saving analysis indicates that the ground-source heat pump system saves 36.85% and 38.65% of electrical energy in cooling and heating modes, respectively, compared to the ASAC system.