Hybrid CHP/Geothermal Borehole System for Multi-Family Building in Heating Dominated Climates
1
Mechanical Engineering Department, College of Engineering, Najran University, Najran 61441, Saudi Arabia
2
Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH 45469-0238, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Sustainability 2020, 12(18), 7772; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12187772
Received: 7 August 2020 / Revised: 16 September 2020 / Accepted: 17 September 2020 / Published: 20 September 2020
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Efficiency and Sustainability in Buildings)
A conventional ground-coupled heat pump (GCHP) can be used to supplement heat rejection or extraction, creating a hybrid system that is cost-effective for certainly unbalanced climes. This research explores the possibility for a hybrid GCHP to use excess heat from a combined heat power (CHP) unit of natural gas in a heating-dominated environment for smart cities. A design for a multi-family residential building is considered, with a CHP sized to meet the average electrical load of the building. The constant electric output of the CHP is used directly, stored for later use in a battery, or sold back to the grid. Part of the thermal output provides the building with hot water, and the rest is channeled into the GCHP borehole array to support the building’s large heating needs. Consumption and weather data are used to predict hourly loads over a year for a specific multi-family residence. Simulations of the energies exchanged between system components are performed, and a cost model is minimized over CHP size, battery storage capacity, number of boreholes, and depth of the borehole. Results indicate a greater cost advantage for the design in a severely heated (Canada) climate than in a moderately imbalanced (Ohio) climate.
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Keywords:
combined heat and power; smart cities; energy efficient; ground-coupled heat pump; storage capacity; multi-family residence
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MDPI and ACS Style
Alqaed, S.; Mustafa, J.; P. Hallinan, K.; Elhashmi, R. Hybrid CHP/Geothermal Borehole System for Multi-Family Building in Heating Dominated Climates. Sustainability 2020, 12, 7772. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12187772
AMA Style
Alqaed S, Mustafa J, P. Hallinan K, Elhashmi R. Hybrid CHP/Geothermal Borehole System for Multi-Family Building in Heating Dominated Climates. Sustainability. 2020; 12(18):7772. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12187772
Chicago/Turabian StyleAlqaed, Saeed, Jawed Mustafa, Kevin P. Hallinan, and Rodwan Elhashmi. 2020. "Hybrid CHP/Geothermal Borehole System for Multi-Family Building in Heating Dominated Climates" Sustainability 12, no. 18: 7772. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12187772
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