Analysis of solar aided heat pump systems with seasonal thermal energy storage in surface tanks

Annual periodic performance of a solar assisted ground-coupled heat pump space heating system with seasonal energy storage in a hemispherical surface tank is investigated using analytical and computational methods. The system investigated employs solar energy collection and dumping into a seasonal surface tank throughout the whole year with extraction of thermal energy from the tank for space heating during the winter season. A computational model is presented in this study for the prediction of the annual periodic transient behaviour of the system under investigation. The present computational model is based on a hybrid analytical-numerical procedure which facilitates determination of the annual variation of water temperature in the surface tank, the amounts of solar thermal energy collected during each month and the annual periodic performance of the solar aided space heating system. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.