Energy Conversion and Management 52 (2011) 581–589

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Energy Conversion and Management

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/enconman

Energetic performance analysis of a ground-source heat pump system

with latent heat storage for a greenhouse heating
Hüseyin Benli *
Department of Technical and Vocational Education, Fırat University, TR-23119 Elazığ, Turkey

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: In this study, a ground-source heat pump heating system with a latent heat thermal storage tank was
Received 8 January 2009 designed while its thermal energy storage performance was investigated. The heating system mainly con-
Received in revised form 2 December 2009 sists of a ground heat exchanger, a heat pump, a cylindrical latent heat thermal storage tank, measuring
Accepted 21 July 2010
units and a heating space of model-sized glass greenhouses with 30 m2, located in the greenhouse district
Available online 14 August 2010
of Fırat University, Elazığ, in Turkey. In the experiments, the performance characteristics of a ground-
source heat pump greenhouse heating system with a 246 m horizontal 12.7 mm nominal diameter hor-
Keywords:
izontal closed-loop ground heat exchanger and the use of phase change materials (PCM) for energy saving
Ground-source heat pump (GSHP)
Phase change material (PCM)
and management in greenhouses were investigated.
Renewable energy The heating coefficient of performances of the ground-source heat pump (COPHP) and the overall sys-
tem (COPsys) are obtained, to be in the range of 2.3–3.8 and 2–3.5 respectively. Although significant sav-
ings are possible with this heating system, a substantial investment in equipment and facilities may be
required. The experiments results were obtained from October to May in heating seasons of 2005–2006.
The results showed that the utilization of ground-source heat pump-PCM is suitable for greenhouse heat-
ing in this district.
Ó 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction changes slowly. A ground-source heat pump (GSHP) transforms

In developing countries, greenhouses are small-size enterprises,
which are generally established by farmers. Generally, these are
the ones which do not necessitate heating or, which are heated
by farmers through their own methods. The increase in nutrition
needs and the rise in the standard of nutrition which is consumed
have made green housing more important. Today, in green housing
there is a trend in the world that family companies turn into giant
companies. Recently, the desire to make use of technological
opportunities and alternative energy sources in greenhouses in
Europe and in our country has motivated scientists to carry out re-
searches on alternatively-heated greenhouses and their computer-
controlled operation. Until today, in order to heat greenhouses,
many solar source heating pump systems were developed and
many articles were reported in the literature on this issue. Both
heating and cooling are possible with the heat pump. Ground-
source heat pumps are a highly efficient, renewable energy tech-
nology for space heating and cooling. The ground-source heat
pump technology relies on the fact that, at depth, the Earth has a
relatively constant temperature. Because the ground transports
heat slowly and has a high heat storage capacity, its temperature
* Tel.: +90 424 2370000/4402; fax: +90 424 218 8947.
E-mail addresses: hbenli@firat.edu.tr, hbenli@msn.com
this Earth energy into useful energy to heat and cool buildings. En-
ergy saving is even higher when compared with fossil origin fuels
or electrical resistance heating systems. This potential for signifi-
cant energy savings has led to the use of GSHP in a variety of appli-
cations. The utilization of GSHP is well established in USA and the
Scandinavian countries, but is at the testing stage in Turkey.
Utilization of heat pumps in greenhouses is the only and the
most convenient method for economic heating in cold periods
and economic cooling for reducing the greenhouse’s inner heat in
warm periods. The Earth keeps a low amount of the energy re-
ceived from the Sun in its body, reflects the rest of it. A certain
amount of the energy received from the Sun is absorbed by the soil
and the underground heat values are higher than the surface val-
ues in winter months. In summer, since the soil serves as a cover,
underground heat is lower. So, there exists pipes laying under soil
as a heat exchanger, circulating antifreeze water through the pipes,
making use of underground heat and pumping this into the envi-
ronments that we use is the economic way of cooling and heating
places with lower consumption of electrical energy. Making use of
underground heat, these kinds of systems are utilized in heating
and cooling of environment. Ground-source heat pumps, operating
with such a system consume less energy than air-to-air heat
pumps which are widely used and are called split air conditioners.
By this system, the energy of the ground is also utilized. If the area

0196-8904/$ - see front matter Ó 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.enconman.2010.07.033
582 H. Benli / Energy Conversion and Management 52 (2011) 581–589
Nomenclature
A area (m2)
A heat absorption rate of soil (–)
COP heating coefficient of performance (–)
COM consumption (W)
Cp specific heat (J/kg K)
d diameter (m)
f energy saving rate by the thermal curtain (–)
H enthalpy (J/kg)
h heat transfer coefficient (W/m2 K)
I solar radiation on the horizontal surface (W/m2 h)
LH latent heat of water vaporization (J/kg)
Q_ rate of heat transfer (W)
T temperature (°C or K)
V volume (m3)
W power consumption (W)
w total uncertainty (–)
X absolute humidity in the greenhouse (–)
m_ mass flow rate (kg/s)
Greek letters
gm mechanical efficiency of the compressor (–)
gi isentropic efficiency of the compressor (–)
s transmissivity of the greenhouse cover (–)
Cos Ø power factor (–)
is problematic, vertical piping, otherwise, horizontal piping can be
applied. Horizontal piping can be built in a part of the garden of the
house, or can be built around the house. Horizontal piping is made
at a depth of 1–2 m underground. The length of the piping varies
according to the heat needed.
The literature research of the analysis is studied under two
main groups. The first one is the greenhouses heated by heat
pumps or alternatively-heated greenhouses; the second group con-
sists of phase change materials and salt hydrates, which are used in
heat storage. In a study carried out by Kern and Aldrich [1] in a
glass greenhouse, first they stored the air using of an air-collector
system, and then they stored the air using of rocks and phase
change materials in the same greenhouse then compared the other
systems. In Cheong province of South Korea, Hyun-Kap [2] carried
out their experimental study on heating of greenhouses by the
phase change materials and air-source heat pump system. In a
study conducted by Özgener and Hepbaslı [3] heat pumps and geo-
thermal capacity of Turkey were analyzed in detail between the
years 2003 and 2004, in their study carried out in a greenhouse
built in campus of Ege University, Izmir-Turkey, experimentally
analyzed heating of the greenhouse which was heated by a
ground-source heat pump supplemented by the solar collector. In
an experimental study which was carried out in Bangkok, Singapur,
in 2001, Chou et al. [4] studied the cultivation of three different
products: flower, vegetable and crop in a glass greenhouse, at a
place where climatic conditions were respectively milder than
other countries. In this model study, they found that capacity of
the heat pump (COPHP) varied from 1.2 to 4.0. Katsunori et al. [5]
designed a ground-source heat pump in Sappora province of Japan,
and compared that with other alternative heating types. Energy
storage studies for heating greenhouse dates back to the 1980s.
The most frequently used PCM for these purposes is CaCl26H2O,
Na2SO210H2O, PEG and paraffins. Kern et al. [6] used CaCl26H2O
as a PCM in aerosol cans to investigate heat storage possibilities
both inside and outside in a 36 m2 ground area greenhouse covered
Subscript
1 first condition or evaporator outlet-compressor inlet
2 second condition or condenser inlet-compressor outlet
3 condenser outlet, expansion valve inlet
4 expansion valve outlet-evaporator inlet
bw brine water (antifreeze water)
co condenser
comp compressor
cp circulation pump
ev evaporator
fc condenser fan coil
g greenhouse
HP heat pump
i inner
o outlet
PCM phase change material
rg refrigerant (R-22)
sys system
t greenhouse cover
v ventilation
Abbreviations
GHE ground heat exchanger
GSHP ground-source heat pump
LHS latent heat storage
PC personal computer
with fiberglass. They reported that phase change storage system
can provide a desirable alternative to rock storage. Paraffins have
also been used for energy storage in greenhouses Nishina and Tak-
akura [7] conducted a research applying Na2SO210H2O with some
additives to prevent phase separation and degradation for heating
a greenhouse in Japan. Levav and Zamir [8] tested CaCl26H2O in
greenhouses and reported that the required air temperature in
the greenhouse was achieved without any increase in the relative
humidity. It was stressed that the most important drawback of
the system was the high cost of the PCM. Furthermore, they indi-
cated that the 24 °C melting temperature of the PCM could be high
for some crops. Kurklu et al. [9,10] used Na2SO210H2O as a PCM in
greenhouses. In their study, two types of a similar PCM, one with a
melting range of 22–25 °C and the other with one about 8 °C, were
employed, the former for the reduction of peak temperatures to-
wards summer and the latter for frost prevention in greenhouses.
They suggested that PCMs could be used for both energy storage
and humidity control in greenhouses. This helps manage energy
effectively in greenhouses. Kurklu [11] has summarized work on
greenhouses using PCM CaCl26H2O and Na2SO210H2O have been
widely used because of low cost and high energy storage capacity
with a suitable melting point, but super-cooling and sensitivity to-
wards moisture are serious disadvantages for long term usage. Bas-
cetincelik et al. [12] calculated energetic and exergetic efficiencies
of a latent heat storage system in the greenhouse of 180 m2. In
their system, solar energy has been stored has been using paraffin
as PCM. They observed that the average values of net energy and
exergy efficiencies of the system were 41.9% and 3.3% respectively.
Boulard et al. [13] performed a study in a greenhouse with a phase
change material (PCM) heat storage system containing a quasi-eu-
tectic mixture was tested with a classical vegetable production.
They found that such a heat storage system when used in the south
of France, can keep a greenhouse roughly 10 °C higher than outside
during typical nights of March or April. In addition, they indicated
the melting point of PCM 22 °C is not adequate for periods with
 H. Benli / Energy Conversion and Management 52 (2011) 581–589
low solar gains (January or February). Ozturk [14] performed an
experimental evaluation of a seasonal latent heat storage system
for greenhouse heating using energy and exergy analyzes in order
to obtain system efficiency. In their study, heat transfer rate in the
LHS unit ranged from 1.22 to 2.63 kW, whereas the rate of heat
stored in the LHS unit were 111.2 and 79.9 W. Kumari et al. [15]
investigated the thermal performance of a greenhouse with a
PCM north wall filled (calcium chloride hexahydrate as a PCM).
In their system, greenhouse with insulated PCM north wall, They
observed that greenhouse temperature was higher during the
night than ambient air temperature due to PCM north wall. Benli
[16] studied heat distribution in a greenhouse which he built, using
horizontal ground-source heat pump and phase change material.
In the literature, very few papers have appeared on greenhouse
heating with GSHP. In this paper, theoretical and experimental
study of GSHP–PCM is presented. The study includes active heating
with the use heat pump; passive heating with latent heat storing
method with the use of phase change material. The study reported
here includes the performance evaluation of a horizontal ground-
source heat pump with R-22 as the refrigerant heating mode and
latent heat storage with PCM. A latent heat storage tank was di-
rectly connected to the heat pump. An experimental set-up, de-
scribed in the next section, is constructed and tested for the first
time assuming a university study performed in the country. The
coefficient of performance (COP) of the heat pump itself and over-
all system, thermal energy storage of PCM and the whole system is
computed from the measurements.
2. Experimental set-up and performing the experiments
A schematic diagram and experimental set-up of the con-
structed experimental system are illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. The
experimental set-up consists of one heat pump and underground
heat exchanger, circulation water pump, circulation water tank,
emergency water heater for extreme cold air, the tank where
chemical material was put, heating channels which distribute the
warm air in greenhouse, a personal computer and control units,
30 m2 (6 m  5 m) glass greenhouse serving as heating environ-
Fig. 1. The main component and schematic of the HGSHP.
583
ment and other auxiliary apparatus. As it is shown in Fig. 3 a glass
greenhouse and a horizontal closed-loop heat exchanger is used.
Antifreeze water (brine) was circulated through the pipes which
were laid horizontally on the ground, and then heat was removed
from the ground and transferred o the exchanger. The layout of
ground heat exchanger used in this study is shown in Fig. 4.
The heat pump in experimental set-up consists of one air-
cooled condenser, full hermetic compressor, refrigerants tank, free
expansion tank, drier, filter, two thermic throttling valves, solenoid
valve, low and high pressure relief device, two manometers, elec-
trical control and control panel and in horizontal ground-source
heat exchanger, one cylindrical double transient heat exchanger
with nested piping was utilized. R-22 (Chlorodifluoromethane—
CHClF2) was used as a refrigerant in the heat pump. The specifica-
tions and characteristics of the main components of the GSHP are
given in Table 1.
The chemical material storage utilized in experiments had a
diameter of 600 mm and a length of 1500 mm, and consisted of
30 air transfer channels with a diameter of 50 mm on the same
storage. In order to store latent heat in the cylindrical tank used
for chemical material tank, calcium chloride hexahydrate was
put as a salt hydrate. In our study, in order to store the energy
which was produced using a heat pump, latent heat storage meth-
od was preferred. As energy storing material calcium chloride
hexahydrate of commercial purity, which changes phase under
low temperature. As it was mentioned earlier, when in comparison
to other phase change materials, from the aspect of economy and
thermal and chemical stability, better results were obtained with
calcium chloride hexahydrate. This material is not harmful to hu-
man health, and is not poisonous. It is known that calcium chloride
hexahydrate is a by-product of soda factories. This material is sold
in the dry form, and it is solved by adding an amount of slightly
more water than the theoretical amount (by weight) 51% CaCl2
and 49% H2O) in the laboratory. In order to provide crystallization,
by adding Merk KNO3 (99.8% pure) at 2–4% rate of the weight of
the chemical material as a nucleation element, calcium chloride
hexahydrate solution was prepared. In order to keep the solution
homogenous and let it dissolve fully, it was prepared by mixing un-
der mild heat. The solution was then placed in a heat storage tank.
584 H. Benli / Energy Conversion and Management 52 (2011) 581–589

Fig. 2. Experimental equipment of the greenhouse heating system.

Fig. 3. The view of the greenhouse and the ground heat exchangers buried 2 m depth.

Chemical material amount for storage is 300 kg storage cost is

rather low. Since the purity of the material varies between 90%
5000 and 92%, heat storage capacity is slightly less than Merk material
(165–170 kJ/kg). In addition, when economic factors were taken
4800
into consideration, it is convenient to utilize materials with techni-
cal purity, which is cheap in practice. Fig. 5 shows the view of
R 0
R
20
10

GSHP.
0

200 The experimental set-up explained in brief above includes:

1/2"
 Ground-source heat pump set-up.
 Heat storage set-up.
 Glass greenhouse.

2.1. Measurements

The following data were regularly recorded with a time interval

of 15 min during the experiments:

 Measurement of mass flow rates of the water/antifreeze solu-

tion by a rotameter.
12000
11500
T

 Measurement of mass flow rates of the refrigeration solution by

T
T

a flow meter. Measurement of temperature of the water/anti-

T SOIL TEMPERATURE T
Fig. 4. The layout of the ground heat exchanger.
freeze solution entering and leaving the ground heat exchanger
(GHE) by copper-constantan thermocouples mounted on the
unit water inlet and outlet lines.
 Measurement of condenser and evaporator pressures by bour-
don-type manometers.
 Measurement of ambient atmospheric pressure by a barometer.
 Measurement of outdoor and greenhouse air temperatures and
humidity in the northern side by using multi-channel digital
thermometer.
 Measurement of outdoor and greenhouse air temperatures and
humidity in the southern side by using multi-channel digital
thermometer.
WATER
T OUTLET  Measurement of electrical power input to the compressor, fans
(one of them for condenser unit and the other for LHS unit), cir-
culating pump by a wattmeter.
 H. Benli / Energy Conversion and Management 52 (2011) 581–589 585

Table 1
The main components specification and characteristics of the GSHP system studied.

Main circuit Element Technical specification

Ground HGHE length of 246 m Horizontal heat exchanger; pipe distance: 0.3 m; pipe diameter: 0.016 m; piping depth 2 m; material
coupling unit Polyethylene, PX-b Cross Link
Water–antifreeze solution Manufacturer: DAB A50/180  3 speed; speed step (2710, 2540, 1715 rpm) power (160,148, 140 W); flow rate
circulating pump 1–12 m3/h; pressure head 8 m
Expansion tank 50 l
Refrigerant Compressor Type: hermetic reciprocating: manufacturer: Tecumseh; model TFH 5532 F volumetric flow rate 9.2 m3/h speed
circuit 2900 rpm; the rated power of electric motor driving 2.5 HP (1.86 kW); refrigerant R-22; capacity 5.484 kW
(at cooling/condensing temperatures of 0/46 °C)
Heat exchanger
Condenser for heating Manufacturer: Altıntasß Isı type: ID 23-01; capacity 10 kW heat transfer surface 0.85 m2
Manufacturer: Azak Soğutma type: AS169 25 model: m2D capacity 11,630 W/10,000 kcal/h. 25 m2 surface
area. 45 cm fan diameter
Dryer Manufacturer: DE-NA/233-083 Dry-101 connection 3/8 in.
Observe glass Manufacturer: Honeywell S21; connection 3/8 in.
Fan circuit Fan of air-cooled condenser Manufacturer: Aldag: type SAS 228 diameter 380 mm: air volumetric flow rate: 600 m3/h, power 180 W
Fan of discharging of PCM Manufacturer: Bahçıvan motor: BDRKF 180; diameter 200 mm: volumetric flow rate 860 m3/h, power 85 W,
speed 2350 d/d

The total uncertainty in the measurement of the volumetric

flow rate of the water/antifreeze solution by using a rotameter
and the uncertainty arising in calculating the mass flow rate of this
solution are given in the following. Besides this, the uncertainties
in the other measured and calculated parameters are determined
in a similar fashion.
The total uncertainty in the measurement of the volumetric
flow rate wv_ may be calculated as follows [18]:
 1=2
wv_ ¼ w2ro þ w2sl þ w2td ð1Þ
where wro = uncertainty in the rotameter reading (%); wsl = uncer-
tainty associated with the system leakages (%); wtd = uncertainty
associated with the temperature differences (density differences)
(%)

Fig. 5. The view of GSHP unit. wv_ ¼ ð1:552 þ 2:52 þ 0:752 Þ1=2 ¼ 3:03%

The uncertainties arising in calculating a result (wR) due to sev-

 Measurement of ground temperatures by copper-constantan eral independent variables is given in Ref. [17] as
thermocouples.
" 2  2  2 #1=2
 Measurement of inlet and outlet temperatures of the circulated
@R @R @R
water–antifreeze solution through the closed-loop HGHE and wR ¼ w1 þ w2 þ  þ wn ð2Þ
@x1 @x2 @xn
WARHEX were measured by copper-constantan thermocouples.
 Measurement of wind velocities at the height of 6 m by a max-
where the result R is a given function of the independent variables
imum dic-3 anemometer.
x1, x2, . . . , xn and w1, w2, . . . , wn are the uncertainties in the inde-
 Measurement of solar flux inside and outside greenhouse by an
pendent variables.
Kipp & Zonnen CM11 pyranometer and Elazığ State Meteorolog-
The uncertainty in calculating the mass flow rate wm may be
ical Station, records for weather data from 2005 to 2006 years.
found as follows:
 The temperatures of the heat storage materials and the circulat-
ing air as the heat transfer fluid was measured copper-constan- _ ¼ qV_
m
tan thermocouples. It distributed uniformly throughout the
heat storage unit. Ten thermocouples were placed the heat stor- "   2 #1=2    
_ 2 2
@m @m _ _
@m _ @m _
age unit to measure the temperature of the heat storage wm_ ¼ wq_ þ w2v ; ¼ V; ¼q
material.
@q @ V_ @q @ V_

After algebraic manipulation we obtain

2.2. Test procedure "   2 #1=2
wm_ wq 2 wv_
¼ þ
The experimental study was done sometimes under non-stop
m_ q V_
working conditions during day time from 8.00 a.m. to 17.00 p.m. Taking into account an uncertainty value of ± 0,20% in the ther-
and sometimes non-stop throughout all day in heating season, mophysical properties [18] and inserting the numerical values of
namely, from 1 October 2005 to 30 May 2006 to determine the uncertainty yields
COP of the heat pump and overall system. The mean values of mea-
wm_
sured data and calculated results for heating mode are given in ¼ ½ð0:2Þ2 þ ð3:03Þ2 1=2 ¼ 3:04%
Table 2. m_
586 H. Benli / Energy Conversion and Management 52 (2011) 581–589

Table 2
The experimental results and total uncertainties of the measured parameters.

Item Value Total

uncertainty (%)
Measured parameters
Evaporation pressure 0.79 MPa ±2.96
Condensation pressure 1.66 MPa ±2.72
Evaporating temperature 1.88 °C ±1.59
Condensing temperature 89 °C ±3.32
Temperature of water–antifreeze solution at 6.1 °C ±1.25
HGHE inlet
Temperature of water–antifreeze solution at 9.6 °C ±1.25
HGHE outlet
Mass flow rate of water–antifreeze solution 0.065 l/s ±3.03
Mass flow rate of air 0.75 l/s ±3.03
Soil temperature in depth of 2 m 13.9 °C ±1.25 Fig. 6. Energy balance model in the greenhouse heating system equipped with PCM
Outdoor air temperature 7.6 °C ±1.25 storage unit and the heat pump.
Indoor air temperature 18.6 °C ±1.25
Compressor electric current 6.25 A ±3.12
Brine circulating pump electric current 0.40 A ±3.12 Hence, the COP of the GSHP can be calculated as
Condenser fan electric current 0.75 A ±3.12
Current of all systems 7.4 A ±3.12 Q_ co
Three-phase voltage 382 V ±3.12
COPHP ¼ ð9Þ
_ comp
W
Two-phase voltage 220 V ±3.12
Temperature of air at fan coil inlet 18.6 °C ±1.25 The coefficient of performance of the overall heating system
Temperature of air at fan coil outlet 33.1 °C ±1.25
Power factor 0.88 ±1.10
(COPsys), which is the ratio of the condenser load to total work con-
sumption of the compressor, brine water, circulation pump and the
Calculated parameters
Power input the compressor 1683 W ±3.10
condenser fan-coil unit, was computed by the following equation:
Power input the circulating pump 150 W ±3.10
Q_ co
Power input the condenser fan 155 W ±3.10 COPsys ¼ ð10Þ
Total power of systems 1988 W ±3.10 _
W comp þ W _ cp þ W
_ fc

The heat gained from the ground-source heat pump overall sys-
tem can be written as follows:
3. Analysis of energy balance for the greenhouse
Q_ sys ¼ COPsys  COMelectric ð11Þ
As shown in Fig. 6 solar radiation and thermal energy gained Heat loss through the greenhouse cover (Q_ t ) is
from the heat pump were energy sources for greenhouse heating
and air, soil, crop and PCM were heat storage media and then the Q_ t ¼ Ag ht ð1  f ÞðT inside  T ambient Þ ð12Þ
air in the greenhouse was heated with a small amount of the heat
Heat loss of ventilation from the greenhouse (Q_ v ) is
sources and the large amount of the heat sources was lost through
the greenhouse cover. Q_ v ¼ Ag hv  ðT inside  T ambient Þ ð13Þ
During daylight thermal energy balance can be written as fol-
lows [2]. In this equation Heat absorbed and released by soil in the greenhouse (Q_ soil ) is

Q_ solar þ Q_ sys ¼ Q_ t þ Q_ v þ Q_ soil þ Q_ crop þ Q_ air þ Q_ PCM ð3Þ Q_ soil ¼ asoil  Ag  Rg  s  I ð14Þ

where solar radiation in the greenhouse (Q_ solar ) is calculated from where the ratio of soil area not covered by the crop is calculated as
the following equation: follows:
 
Q_ solar ¼ s  I ð4Þ Ag  Acrop
Rg ¼ ð15Þ
Ag
For the cycle calculations for the ground-source heat pump sys-
tem, the following assumptions were made: (i) the volumetric effi- Heat absorbed and released by the crop (Q_ crop ) is
ciency of the compressor was taken to be 90%, (ii) the compressor
isentropic efficiency was taken to be 75%, and (iii) there were no Q_ crop ¼ Rcrop  acrop  s  I ¼ ð1  Rg Þ  acrop  s  I ð16Þ
pressure loses in the cycle. where ratio of soil area covered by crops is calculated by
The rate of the heat extracted (absorbed) by the unit in the heat-  
ing mode (ground heat exchanger load) Q_ GHE is calculated from the Acrop
Rcrop ¼ ð17Þ
following equation: Ag

Q_ GHE ¼ m
_ bw C p;bw ðT o;bw  T i;bw Þ ð5Þ Air enthalpy in the greenhouse (Q_ air ) is
 
The heat rejection rate in the condenser is calculated by Q_ air ¼ hdryair þ v  hv apor  m
_ air
(( ) )
Q_ co ¼ m
_ rg ðH2  H3 Þ ð6Þ pv apor
_ air
¼ C p T inside þ 0:6220 ðLHwater þ C v T inside Þ  m
pdryair
The heat transfer rate in the evaporator is
ð18Þ
Q_ eV ¼ m
_ rg ðH1  H4 Þ ð7Þ
Heat stored by the PCM (Q_ PCM ) is
The work input rate to the compressor is
_ rg ðH2  H1 Þ Q_ PCM ¼ m _ PCM
_ pcmsolid C ppcmsolid ðT 2;solid  T 1;solid Þ þ LHPCM m
_ comp ¼ m
W ð8Þ
gi gm _ pcmliquid C ppcmliquid ðT 1;liquid  T 2;liquid Þ
þm ð19Þ
 H. Benli / Energy Conversion and Management 52 (2011) 581–589 587

The heat gain from the ground depends on seasonal conditions. 1800
In our study, using the pipes which were laid horizontally 2 m 1600 20.10.2005
underground, the heat gain per pipe length meter was 1400 01.11.2005
0.00315 kW/m on average. Heat transfer coefficient of the ground 1200 07.12.2005

HEAT (W)
was taken as 1.70 W/mK. For obtaining a better heat transfer, peb- 1000 19.01.2006
bles with a heat transfer coefficient of 1.75 W/mK were spread on 800
17.02.2006
the ground. In latent heat storage systems, the transferred heat can 25.03.2006
600
be calculated with the following equation. In these calculations, 09.04.2006
400
instantaneous calculations were made. The heat transfer during
200
the charge and discharge of the phase change material is a function
0
of time. The charge and discharge of phase change material should 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
be considered according to time. TIME (h)
Q_ PCMðtÞ ¼ m
_ air Cpair ðT i;air  T o;air Þ ð20Þ Fig. 8. Heat storage variation with time of the day during discharging period.

This also shows the heat amount which appeared during charge.
The heat the air transferred to the chemical material tank is ac-
cepted to be the heat received by the chemical material. These empirical equations are valid for following values.

Q_ PCMðtÞ ¼ Q_ PCMðtÞ charge  Q_ PCMðtÞ discharge ð21Þ – 6h > t > 1h (time period for charging), 4h > t > 1h (time period for
discharging).
When the heat pump is off and chemical material storage is let
– 50 °C > Ti,air > 35 °C (heat pump chemical material air input
to cool, the heat the chemical material transfers via movement will
temperature for charging), 35 °C > To,air > 5 °C (heat pump
be equal to discharge heat.
chemical material air output temperature for discharging).
Q_ PCMðtÞ ¼ hinside Asurface;PCM ðT surface;PCM;av erage  T inside;PCM Þ ð22Þ
Aheatingpipes
4. Discussions —Aratio ¼ ¼ 0:21 ð26Þ
APCM
According to the calculations 300 kg chemical material and
200 kg water was put in the heat tank. In order to facilitate nucle-
ation and transformation, 6 kg potassium nitrate was added. The – mPCM = 300 kg chemical material.
mixture was then slightly heated and mixed in order to provide –m_ air ¼ 0:27 kg=s.
homogeneity, and then it as ready for use.
For ground-source heat pump; the experimental data were con-
V PCM 0:33565 verted into tables and under the light of these data COP values for
¼ ¼ 3:8 ð23Þ
V heatingpipe 0:08835 each system were calculated and various graphics were obtained.
Derived experimental equations are valid for situations where The COPsys changes of the ground-source heat pump according to
the ratio of the amount of the chemical material to the heating sur- hours of the day are given in Fig. 9. COPsys value of the system
face area is 3–4 times higher (Fig. 7). It gives the change of total and a dimensionless h ¼ T envTiroment number was determined an empir-
soil

heat stored by the chemical material during the charge phase with
respect to time (Fig. 8). It gives the change of heat dissipated by the
chemical material during the discharge phase with respect to time.
Empirical relations for the chemical material are found as fol-
lows. These relations are derived separately for heat pump and dis-
charge conditions.
For heat pump during charge the following was found:
ical (experimental) relation were found as follows. In order to ob-
tain reliable values, Tsoil > Tenvironment should be taken. For this
reason h value is always smaller than 1. Otherwise, underground
heat exchanger turns out to be harmful rather than beneficial.
The change of total electrical energy consumed according to hours
of the day in Fig. 10.
October 2005 (20 October 2005)

Q_ pcmcharge ¼ 0:0276t2  0:4488t þ 1:9143 R2 ¼ 0:963 ð24Þ COPsys ¼ 11944h2 þ 23055h  11122 R2 ¼ 0:9804 ð27Þ

For heat pump during discharge the following was found: November 2005 (01 November 2005)
Q_ pcmdischarge ¼ 0:0504t2  0:6962t þ 2:3776 R2 ¼ 0:947 ð25Þ
COPsys ¼ 2333:3h2  4488:3h þ 2161:3 R2 ¼ 0:9738 ð28Þ

2000
4,5
1800
1600 4
20.10.2005 20.10.2005
1400 01.11.2005 3,5 01.11.2005
COPsys
HEAT (W)

1200 07.12.2005 3 07.12.2005

19.01.2006
1000 19.01.2006
2,5 17.02.2006
800 17.02.2006 25.03.2006
25.03.2006
2
600 09.04.2006

09.04.2006 1,5
400
200 1
08:00
09:30
11:00
12:30
14:00
15:30
17:00
18:30
20:00
21:30
23:00
00:30
02:00
03:30
05:00
06:30

0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
TIME (h) TIME OF DAY

Fig. 7. Heat storage variation with time of the day during charging period. Fig. 9. The daily variation of COPsys of the GSHP.
588 H. Benli / Energy Conversion and Management 52 (2011) 581–589

1900 5. The brine water has no risk of freezing. The brine water has a
CONSUMED POWER (W)

1800 non-freeze capacity up until 20 °C. This risk was planned as
20.10.2005
1700
a measure for low temperature. An additional emergency
01.11.2005
07.12.2005
heating and automatic stop facility are available in the sys-
1600
19.01.2006 tem, for this risk.
1500 17.02.2006 6. In order to use in these kinds of systems, the heat pump
1400 25.03.2006 must be insulated, if possible it should be placed inside the
09.04.2006 greenhouse or the heat pump must be operated in a covered
1300
1200 form.
7. Since the temperature of the water received from ground is
08:00
10:00
12:00
14:00
16:00
18:00
20:00
22:00
00:00
02:00
04:00
06:00
higher than the environment, the compression rate of the
TIME OF DAY compressor is rather low, by which it needs less energy from
external sources.
Fig. 10. Total power consumption (compressor, condenser fan and circulating 8. As the storage is used, the stability and change of the chem-
pump).
ical material is easily observed.
9. Since ground-source heat pump was used, the device easily
December 2005 (07 December 2005) operates even in 20 °C (defrost) freezing problem was not
observed in the system.
COPsys ¼ 10476h2 þ 20866h  10387 R2 ¼ 0:9761 ð29Þ
10. Auxiliary heat source was not needed in the system.
January 2006 (19 January 2005) 11. The pipes used in heat exchanger should be selected among
the ones with 25.4 mm and higher. It should be compared
COPsys ¼ 10076h2 þ 19376h  9312:8 R2 ¼ 0:9812 ð30Þ with vertical brine water set-up.
February 2006 (17 February 2006) 12. In warm days the charge of the chemical material takes
shorter time and the discharge takes longer time. And in cold
COPsys ¼ 16429h2 þ 31491h  15088 R2 ¼ 0:9635 ð31Þ days the process is reversed, the charge takes longer time,
March 2006 (25 March 2006) and the discharge takes shorter time.
13. The performance of the ground-source heat pump COPHP
COPsys ¼ 43667h2  85935h þ 42282 R2 ¼ 0:9824 ð32Þ and COPsys are found between 2.3–3.8 and 2–3.5 respec-
tively, depending on the temperature of the environment
April 2006 (09 April 2006)
in the greenhouse, the heat pump produces a heat of
COPsys ¼ 857:14h2 þ 1700:3h  840:14 R2 ¼ 0:9765 ð33Þ 5–10 °C, and the chemical material produce an average of
1–3 °C auxiliary heat. The best (peak) COP of the GSHP and
overall system were obtained as 4.2 and 4 on 09 April 2006.
5. Conclusions 14. Experimental results show that univalent central heating
operation (independent of any other heating system) cannot
In the region where the current study was carried out, January be met overall heat loss of greenhouse if ambient tempera-
is the coldest month of the year. The temperatures for average ture is very low. The bivalent operation (combined with
20–22 days in the mentioned region are between 5 and 20 °C. other heating system) can be suggested as the best solution
These moths are quite ideal for ground-source heat pumps. The in Eastern region in Turkey, if peak load heating can be easily
heat pump performs a more stable operation. For freezing problem controlled.
in brine water input into the heat pump it is necessary to take
additional measures. The temperature of the ground in January is
around 5–7 °C. During the input of brine water into nested pipes
heat exchanger, the heat of the environment cause sudden drops Acknowledgements
in the heat of the system in heat exchange of the F-22 gas, and
as a result, freezing problem emerges. For this reason, an additional The author gratefully acknowledge the financial support from
heat source may be necessary in sudden heat drops. Placing the the Fırat University Research Fund. My sincere thanks are also
heat pump directly inside the greenhouse or in a covered place for Mr. Mustafa Ceyhanlı who is the founder and manager of the
outside would be a more convenient solution. Ground-source heat ‘‘Ceylanlar Greenhouse” for his invaluable support (Ceylanlar
pump can be used in times when the temperature of the environ- Greenhouse is a Turkish company based in Adana. Further informa-
ment is lower than the temperature of the ground. The ground- tion about the company is available at www.ceylanlar.com.tr).
source heat pump system has a better performance than conven-
tional air-source heating systems in low environment conditions. References
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