Investigation of a ground source heat pump system for use in large and dense city areas in Japan

Feb. 16, 2006 - Ryozo Oaka, Japan - In Europe and North America, ground source heat pump (GSHP) systems have provided heat mainly for buildings or, in the early stages, for snow melting. This has not occurred in Japan, due to high excavation costs.

If such systems are to be used in Japanese cities, three problem areas need to be considered:

reduction of the initial construction cost
improvement of the performance of water source heat pumps
development of simulation methods for heat transfer in the ground.

Since 2003, the authors have working on these areas, with support from the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization of Japan (NEDO). This article describes the results of two years' work.


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