[CM2023-06] Thermal energy systems with ground heat exchangers

We are looking for partners to answer the call “CM2023-06 Heating and cooling technologies”. We are in touch with a French industrial partner: they develop an innovative solar thermal collector and are willing to investigate the advantage of coupling the collectors with underground heat exchangers to store the seasonal excess heat.

We operate a test facility for close-loop ground heat exchangers (borehole, horizontal, helicoidal ones…). These fully instrumented exchangers are connected to a thermodynamic machinery, allowing the emulation of any thermal solicitation or the connection to components (e.g. solar thermal collectors, etc.). Nearby observation points in the ground allow to monitor the temperature, moisture, geochemical conditions, etc.

Besides, we have developed know-how in the modelling of ground heat exchangers (both analytical and numerical) and their integration into dynamic models of the whole thermal energy system including heat pumps, solar collectors, sorption chillers, etc. (TRNSYS, Dymola), along with the multi-objective optimization of such systems through surrogate modelling.