i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f r e f r i g e r a t i o n 3 5 ( 2 0 1 2 ) 1 8 2 4 e1 8 3 2

Available online at www.sciencedirect.com

w w w . i i fi i r . o r g

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

Geothermal heat pump in heating mode: Modeling and

simulation on TRNSYS

R. Chargui a,*, H. Sammouda a, A. Farhat b

a
Laboratoire d’Energie et des Matériaux (LR11ES34), Université des Sousse, ESSTHSousse, Rue Abbassi Lamine, 4011 HSousse, Tunisia
b
Centre National de Recherche et des Technologies de l’Energie (CNRTE), PB 95, Hammam Lif 2015, Tunisia

article info abstract

Article history: The consumption of energy in greenhouses and residential buildings has gained an
Received 21 December 2011 increasing interest. Recently, due to the rising demand for efficient energy use and higher
Received in revised form comfort standards, our contribution will relate to an application of heating of a greenhouse
15 April 2012 by using an abundant and more universal sources and easily accessible. Thus, the
Accepted 11 June 2012 resources employed are water or air. The objective of this work is to model and simulate
Available online 29 June 2012 a heat pump on TRNSYS which is dedicated to study the thermodynamic phenomena.
Here, we present a mathematical description of the heat pump on TRNSYS model by using
Keywords: HVAC technique, as well as the numerical results of the simulation of the heat pump, such
Heat pump as the COP, power consumption and the delivered power, by using the geothermal source
Heating in southern Tunisia.
Simulation ª 2012 Elsevier Ltd and IIR. All rights reserved.
Coefficient of performance
Power

Pompe à chaleur géothermique en mode chauffage:

Modélisation et simulation sur TRNSYS
Motsclés : Pompe à chaleur ; Chauffage ; Simulation ; Coefficient de performance ; Puissance

1. Introduction renewable recourse is significant and it occupies in the world

one of the first place of renewable energies. The geothermal
In Tunisia, due to lack of notoriety, geothermic is slightly used sources in Tunisia (the water of surfaces, the water of the
like many renewable resources. Compared to other countries, wells.) are used for heating and cooling of greenhouses, by
in these times of safeguarding of energy, the evolution of using geothermic heat pumps. This thermodynamic system

* Corresponding author. Tel.: þ216 931 960/96 727 448; fax: þ216 931 960.
E-mail address: chargui_r@yahoo.fr (R. Chargui).
0140-7007/$ e see front matter ª 2012 Elsevier Ltd and IIR. All rights reserved.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2012.06.002
 i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f r e f r i g e r a t i o n 3 5 ( 2 0 1 2 ) 1 8 2 4 e1 8 3 2
Nomenclature
1 1
Cpf Specific heat liquid source (kJ kg K )
m_i Inlet flow rate of water heat source (kg h1)
m_0 Outlet flow rate of water heat source (kg h1)
Q_ abs Absorbed power by the evaporator (kJ h1)
Q_ dh Delivered power to room by direct liquid source
heating (kJ h1)
Q_ ei Electrical power consumed by heat pump (kJ h1)
Q_ hp Delivered power by heat pump (kJ h1)
Ta Ambient Temperature ( C)
Tdh Minimum fluid source temperature necessary for
direct liquid heating ( C)
Ti Inlet temperature of water heat source ( C)
Tmin;a Minimum ambient temperature necessary for
heat pump operation ( C)
Tmin;i Minimum fluid temperature necessary for heat
pump ( C)
T0 Outlet temperature of water heat source ( C)
TR Temperature of room air heated by heat pump or
directly by the liquid source ( C)
Cmin Effectiveness times minimum capacitance of heat
exchanger for direct liquid source heating
(kJ h1 K1)
includes two heat sources (hot and cold) between which
a coolant that (R-134a, R-410, R-22, CO2.) undergoes a cycle of
transformations, causing a heat transfer between the two
sources. We attend a heat transfer of hottest medium about
the coldest middle, whereas spontaneously heat diffuses
hotter toward coldest until the equality of the temperatures.
This machine restores more energy, and hence, after this
foreword we expose some work available in the literature
which treats the heat pumps.
Haberschill et al. (2006) have developed a prototype of heat
pump to CO2 (water/water) functioning with a hermetic
compressor to raise the temperature of a domestic hot water
from 13 to 60  C. The results show that the COP of the tran-
scritical heat pump is 10% superior to that of R-22. Various
types of compressors have also been studied. It is the case of
compressors screw and spiral (Klidonas, 2005; Winandy and
Hundy, 2004). The installation on which Saikawa and
Hashimoto (1998) made experiments function with
a compressor twin-cylinder. The regulation is made either by
the valve located downstream from the evaporator, or by the
number of revolutions of the compressor. From their side,
Ozgener et al. (2007) have presented a parametric study on the
exergoeconomic assessment of a vertical ground-coupled
(geothermal) heat pump system. They have made a para-
metric study to investigate how varying reference tempera-
tures will affect the exergoeconomic analysis of the ground-
source heat pump system. A correlation between the ratio of
thermodynamic loss rate to capital cost and reference state
temperature is developed. Slim et al. (2008) have studied the
modeling of a solar and heat pump sludge drying system. This
paper focuses on the evaluation of the heating temperature
leading to an annual thermo-economic optimum in terms of
energy consumption. This article presents a very developed
1825
Qhp Capacity of the heat pump (kW)
Php Electric power consumption of the heat pump
(kW)
Abbreviations
COP Coefficient of Performance
TRNSYS TRaNsient SYstem Simulation program
HVAC Heating Ventilating Air Conditioning
EES Engineering Equation Solver
Greek letters
ghtr Control function for heat pump (0  off, 1  on)
ε Heat exchanger effectiveness
Subscripts
abs Absorbed
ei Electrical
dh Delivered; Heating
hp Heat pump
min Minimum
a Ambient
i Inlet
0 Outlet
R Room
theory; the COP of the pump exceeds value 5, which explains
the interest of this work. Recently, Ozcan and Ozgener (2011)
have studied the geothermic heat pumps. This study high-
lights theoretical, energetic and exergetic performance eval-
uation results of BetheeZeldovicheThompson (BZT) fluids in
geothermal heat pumps. In this study, they have selected
hexafluoroethane (R-116), octafluoropropane (R-218), and
octafluorocyclobutane (RC318) as possible alternative
replacements to the traditional refrigerants in geothermal
heat pumps. In addition, Ozgener and Hepbasli (2007) have
developed the modeling and performance evaluation of
ground source (geothermal) heat pump systems. In this study
the results obtained is discussed in terms of energetic and
exergetic aspects. The values for COPHP ranged from 3.12 to
3.64, while those for COPsys varied between 2.72 and 3.43.
Furthermore, Manole (2004) have proposed to take the
maximum temperature of the cycle as a parameter of
adjustment. From their side, Neksa et al. (1998) have carried
out experiments on a prototype of heat pump, intended for
the production of hot water and controlled by computer acting
on a pneumatic pressure reducer and the number of revolu-
tions of the compressor. They highlight the difficulty of this
process for which a reliable modeling of the complete system
is necessary. This last point has been confirmed recently by
Rasmussen et al. (2005).
In the field of modeling, much of studies aiming at the
optimization of operation in nominal mode were made. We
can in particular quote that of Sarkar et al. (2006) based at the
same time on energy and exergetic analyses. Among the
authors who have sought to model the operation of the PAC in
dynamic mode, we can quote Skaugen and Svensson (1998)
and Bryan and Andrew (2004) who have presented a model
of simulation with discretization of the heat exchangers, but
1826 i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f r e f r i g e r a t i o n 3 5 ( 2 0 1 2 ) 1 8 2 4 e1 8 3 2
without taking into account the losses of pressure within the
machine. In addition, Sakellari et al. (2006) have studied the
strategies of controls for a system of residential heating heat
temperature, they have developed their work on model
TRNSYS, by using the technique of the HVAC (Heating venti-
lating Air Conditioning). Sakellari and Lundqvist (2005) have
studied the computational tools TRNSYS and EES to model
and analyze the performance of a residential house, its
ventilation system and its floor heating system based on an
exhaust air heat pump. The system analysis focuses particu-
larly on the influence of internal and solar gains on the
operation of the heating system and the thermal comfort of
the house.
Researchers have a large number of energy-related
computational tools at their disposal. Energy analysis tools
range from simplified, manual methods, for approximate
energy use estimates, to detailed, computerized, hourly
simulations. Computer simulation programs are important
tools for evaluating the performance of heating ventilation
and air conditioning (HVAC) systems in buildings. If the
purpose of the building energy analysis is to study trends and
compare systems or alternatives, then simplified analysis
methods may be appropriate. However, for detailed energy
analyses of building energy systems and sub-systems, more
comprehensive tools are required (Klein et al., 2000).
The aim of the present work is to examine a heat pump in
heating mode (the CO2 is the refrigerant) by using the
geothermal source in south of Tunisia. Moreover, it is exam-
ined the behavior as well as the results of the simulation of
this system on TRNSYS. Overall the findings indicate the
importance of reconsidering dimensioning methods and
controlling functions of such heating systems so that more
parameters can be taken into account.
2. Properties of the CO2
The application of CO2 as a working fluid introduces chal-
lenges, but certainly also opportunities and possibilities,
compared other technology. First of all, components for
much higher design pressures are needed, typically
150 bar maximum operating pressure. However, with the
manufacturing technology and the knowledge base existing
today, it is possible to fully utilize the advantages introduced
by the high pressures, for instance in reducing component
sizes due to high volumetric capacity. The critical temperature
of CO2 is 31.1  C. This implies that sub-critical operation, as
known from common refrigeration technology, is only
possible when the average heat sink temperature is rather
low. However, when subcritical operation is possible it may be
stated that the CO2 systems compete very well with respect to
energy efficiency with systems using other refrigerants. On
the other hand, for applications of water heating or air
conditioning, where the hot source is overall at the ambient
temperature, the condensation phase is made ineffective by
the significant rate of temperature between the refrigerant
and the hot source. The heat transfer must then be carried out
above the critical point, in the supercritical area, and the cycle
is trans-critical. The heat rejection is not done any more by
condensation, but by cooling, by the gas cooler.
The CO2 is characterized by high values of the heat
capacity and thermal conductivity and a low value of its
dynamic viscosity. Compared with other refrigerants, ther-
modynamic properties of CO2 seem to be rather favorable in
terms of heat transfer and pressure loss.
3. Simulation
The study reported here includes the performance evaluation
of a vertical heat pump with CO2 as the refrigerant in the
heating mode. We use the simulation TRNSYS model for
analyze this system for 24 h of operation in January.
3.1. Description of the system studied
This component shows the performance of heat pump
having two evaporators (CO2 as the refrigerant in the heat-
ing mode): a liquid source to utilize heat from a solar system
or other processes, and an ambient air source to be used
when the outdoor temperature exceeds the liquid
source temperature or if the liquid source temperature
approaches its freezing point. The model also allows a direct
heating mode in which the hot liquid source bypasses the
heat pump and delivers energy across a heat exchanger
whenever its temperature exceeds a user specified
minimum, Tdh .
A schematic of the dual source heat pump considered by
this component is shown in Fig. 1. The entire system is
controlled by a single control input, ghtr . If the value of this
control function is 0, then no heating is required and the heat
pump delivers no energy. If, on the other hand, ghtr is 1, then
an internal controller determines the heating mode. Direct
liquid source heating occurs if the source temperature is
greater than Tdh . Otherwise, heat pump heating occurs using
either the liquid or ambient source. The performance of the
heat pump is determined with user-supplied steady-state
performance data as a function of the inlet fluid temperature
to the evaporator only (Klein et al., 2000).
In TRNSYS, the thermodynamic properties of the refrig-
erant in dual source heat pump (Type 20) (enthalpy, density
and heat capacity) are assessed through the work of Span
and Wagner (1996). These authors developed a new equa-
tion of state for CO2, written as an explicit equation for the
Helmoltz free energy. In the area considered here, the
uncertainties announced by the authors are less than 1%.
The thermal conductivity is evaluated using reference works
Lorentzen and Pettersen (1993) with an uncertainty of less
than 5%.
3.2. The controller of the heat pump
The controllers on TRNSYS are designed primarily for imple-
menting temperature level control. Type 2 is most frequently
used to control fluid flow through the heat pump loop on the
basis of two input temperatures. However, any system
employing differential controllers with hysteresis can use
Type 2. Temperature level control in TRNSYS relies on
a control function, g, which is typically constrained to
[gmin;gmax]. Two types of temperature level control are
 i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f r e f r i g e r a t i o n 3 5 ( 2 0 1 2 ) 1 8 2 4 e1 8 3 2
Evaporators
Refrigerant
(CO2)
Controller
Electronic
expansion valve
Ambient air
Circulating air pump
Surface water
Fig. 1 e Operation of the heat pump in heating mode.
commonly used: continuous control and discrete (On/Off)
control. In continuous control, g can take any value from gmin
to gmax. In On/Off control, either g ¼ 0 or g ¼ 1. Like real
controllers, these controller models use operational hyster-
esis to promote stability. Frequently the conditions used in
making a control decision are changed by the control decision.
For example, turning on a pump which moves fluid through
a heat source will change the temperatures on which the
decision to turn on the pump was based. Careful selection of
a dead band temperature difference can help to minimize
a controller’s tendency to oscillate between it’s on and off
states. TRNSYS contains the default value for the variable
expressed in the default units of that variable. The model also
allows a direct mode of heating; the hot source provides
energy through a heat exchanger all the times that its
temperature exceeds a maximum indicated by the user, Tdh .
The whole system is ordered by a simple entry of order, ghtr . If
the value of this operation is 0, then no heating is required and
the heat pump does not provide any energy. If, in addition, the
value of ghtr is 1, then an internal controller determines the
mode of heating. The direct heating coming from the source
occurs if the temperature of the source (Tdh ) is larger than
Timax (Timax is the maximum temperature of the liquid source
indicated by the user).
The minimum, maximum, and default values for the
variable: these values will be used when the component
model is placed into an assembly. The default value must be
between the minimum value and the maximum value. The
default value is replaced by the initial value for the inputs and
derivatives and suppressed for the outputs. These values
must be given in the units specified. Between the minimum
and maximum values resides a small box containing two
brackets and a semi-colon. This setting determines if the
minimum and maximum are included or not in the range. The
minimum and maximum can be “INF” or “þINF” to indicate
no limit (infinity). INF is the default value.
1827
Solar radiation
Air humidity sensor
Compressor
Condenser
Heat
Pump Greenhouse
Thermocouples
Circulating water pump
Expansion valve
3.3. Greenhouse heating systems
This system involves the use of bare tubing, usually small
diameter polybutylene or similar material. The tubing is
installed either on the floor or suspended under benches.
This system has the problem of requiring large quantities of
tubing in order to meet 100% of the heating load. Control of
the system may be manual via gate valves. However, as with
the soil heating system, the use of heat exchangers can allow
accurate control of the temperature and hence the output.
This system is characterized by low equipment cost and zero
fan energy consumption and simple installation practices;
hence we wish to conduct later another study dealing
with the greenhouse system integrating a geothermal heat
pump.
3.4. Mathematical description
The pump operation is modeled by several mathematical
equations. Two conditions are necessary for the operation of
the pump. The activation of the first blocks the second.
Condition 1 (ghtr ¼ 0)
The first condition to impose is that the controller of the
heat pump indicates a value equal to zero. Then the pump is at
rest. No current which circulates in the electric motor. This
condition is insufficient to make the pump function. The
outlet temperature of water heat source (T0 ) equal to the
temperature of the liquid source (Ti ), and delivered power,
absorbed power, the electrical power consumption and the
COP of the pump are zero.
Q_ dh ¼ Q_ abs ¼ Q_ ei ¼ COP ¼ 0 (1)
Condition 2 (ghtr ¼ 1)
1828 i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f r e f r i g e r a t i o n 3 5 ( 2 0 1 2 ) 1 8 2 4 e1 8 3 2

The second condition to fill is that the controller of the heat Q_ abs
T0 ¼ Ti  (7)
pump must indicate the unity value. An electrical current _ i Cpf
m
circulates in the engine of the pump. The function of the
The outlet flow rate of water heat source is given by the
pump is according to the following mode.
relation:
When Ti > Tdh (the inlet temperature of water heat source
exceeds its maximum value indicated by the user). The heat _0¼m
m _i (8)
pump is regarded as a circulation pump. The temperature of
the water surface is sufficient for the direct heating of the The delivered power by the pump for the direct heating is
greenhouse. Otherwise, the heat pump does not pass by zero:
a thermodynamic cycle, since the water of heating passes
Q_ dh ¼ 0 (9)
directly through the circulating pump in the heat exchangers.
The delivered energy by the circulating pump for the direct When Ti < Tmin,I (the inlet temperature of water heat source
heating is given by the relation: is lower than a minimal temperature indicated by the user).
The pump works with the ambient air on the level of the cold
Q_ dh ¼ εCmin ðTi  TR Þ (2) source.
The outlet temperature of water heat source is given by the Q_ hp ; Q_ abs ; Q_ ei ; allow us to determine the performance of the
relation: pump starting from the ambient temperature.
The COP of the pump is given by the relation:
Q_ dh
T0 ¼ Ti  (3) Q_ hp
_ i Cpf
m COP ¼ (10)
Q_ ei
The outlet flow rate of water is:
The outlet water temperature of water heat source is given
_0¼m
m _i (4) by the relation:
The delivered power, the absorbed power by the evaporator,
T0 ¼ Ti (11)
the consumed electric power and the COP of the heat pump
are zero. The outlet flow rate of water heat source is:

_0¼0
Q_ dh ¼ Q_ abs ¼ Q_ ei ¼ COP ¼ 0 (5) m (12)

When Tmin,I  Ti < Tdh, the pump functions according to The delivered power by the pump for the direct heating is
a well defined cycle. The delivered power and consumed zero:
electric power allow us to determine the performance of the
Q_ dh ¼ 0 (13)
pump starting from the temperature of the liquid source. The
COP of the pump is given by the relation:
3.5. Heating system computational algorithm on
Q_ hp
COP ¼ (6) TRNSYS
Q_ ei

The outlet temperature of water heat source is given by the The following diagram (Fig. 2) presents different steps of the
relation: simulation (Dual Source Heat Pump e TYPE 20) on TRNSYS.
There are two methods to follow for simulation in this model.
The user can choose one of these two methods to obtain the
same result. This model is developed in TRNSYS; this is
a package of utility programs that enables the simulation and
analysis of transient systems. The model consists of compo-
nents that interact with each other. The subsystem compo-
nents included in the standard library are programmed in
Fortran language. Each component has a unique TYPE number
that relates this component to Fortran subroutine to model it.
Moreover, each component is represented by a number of
PARAMETERS and time-dependent INPUTS, and produces
number of time dependent OUTPUTS. A produced output of
a specific component can be used as input to itself or to other
components (Klein et al., 2000). TRNSYS has the capability of
interconnecting system components in any desired manner.
Once all the components of the system have been identified
a mathematical description of each component is available,
the main input file for the system has to be attained. This
can be done either directly by editing the text describing
Fig. 2 e Heating system Computational algorithm on the components and the way they interfere in the menu-
TRNSYS. driven environment program (EES), or by constructing an
 i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f r e f r i g e r a t i o n 3 5 ( 2 0 1 2 ) 1 8 2 4 e1 8 3 2 1829

information flow diagram in the graphical pre-processor
(HVAC). This simulation on TRNSYS requires parameters of
input of the heat pump. The user must give well defined
values such as the ambient temperature, the inlet tempera-
ture of water heat source, the inlet flow rate of water heat
source. The main information for the heat pump and the
climatic conditions is given in Tables 1 and 2.
pump. Thus, if the temperature of water reaches its minimal
value indicated by the user, controller automatically value 3 to
make sure that the pump works with the ambient air on the
level of the cold source. If the water temperature is favorable
for the operating condition of the pump, the controller indi-
cates value 2.
4.3. Delivered power by the pump

4. Results
4.1. Temporal evolution of temperatures
During the first phase (Fig. 3), the temperature of water did not
change, which explains why the pump functions with the
ambient air on the level of the cold source. The second phase
shows a brutal reduction in the outlet temperature of water
heat source which is accompanied by a progressive increase in
the temperature of liquid source. When the internal controller
of the pump detects the minimal value of the temperature of
the liquid source, the operating mode of the pump changes
and the pump functions with water increase like cold source.
During the first phase (Fig. 5), the variation of the delivered
power by the pump keeps practically a constant value; we
stabilize the temperature of the ambient air during the period
of (0, 5 h), with the increase in the temperature of the ambient
air (phase 2) one notices an abrupt variation of this power to
stabilize itself. Then, with the change of the cold source
(phase 3), the delivered power by the pump increases in an
appreciable way until it reaches the value 400 (kJ h1), this
increase is accompanied with variation the inlet temperature
of water heat source. The fall of the water temperature (phase
4), this power decreases to be stabilized around 350 (kJ h1),
which is also followed by stabilization of the inlet temperature
of water heat source.

4.2. Control function of the pump 4.4. Consumed electric power

The evolution of the control function of the heat pump during
the first day of January indicates a constant value equal to 3
during the first 10 h (Fig. 4). This value is explained by the fact
that the heat pump works with the ambient air on the level of
the cold source. Remark that this evolution announces value 2
during the remainder of the day which explains that the pump
functions with the water of a liquid source on the level of the
cold source. The release is done automatically by the internal
controller of the pump.
According to the value of the temperature of the water
surface, the controller defines the operating condition of the
During the first phase (1 he6 h) the variation of the electric
power consumed by the pump keeps practically a constant
value and a stabilization of the ambient temperature during
the period between 0 and 5 h (Fig. 6), with an increase of the
ambient temperature (phase 2), we note an abrupt variation of
this power to stabilize around 70e80 (kJ h1). Then with the
change of the cold source (phase 3), the electric power
consumed by the pump increases in an appreciable way until
it reaches a value which exceeds 100 (kJ h1), this increase is
with the variation in the inlet temperature of water heat
source which passes from 11  C to 16  C. With the fall of the

Table 1 e Parameters of the dual source heat pump in TRNSYS.

Nom Dimension Unit Type Range Default

Liquid source specific heat Specific heat kJ kg1 K1 Real [0.0; þInf] 4.19
Flow rate of liquid source Flow kg h1 Real [0.0; þInf] 200
Effectiveness times minimum capacitance rate Overall loss kJ h1 K1 Real [0.0; þInf] 50
(mass flow rate times specific heat) of heat coefficient
exchanger for direct liquid source heating
Minimum temperature for direct liquid heating Temperature [ C] Real [Inf; þInf] 25
Minimum source temperature for liquid operation Temperature [ C] Real [Inf; þInf] 16
Minimum ambient temperature for air operation Temperature [ C] Real [Inf; þInf] 00.0
Maximum temperature for direct liquid heating Temperature [ C] Real [Inf; þInf] 24.0
Logical unit for liquid source data Logical unit e Integer [10; 30] 16
Logical unit for air source data Logical unit e Integer [10; 30] 15
Numbers of basic data for the liquid source Basic data e Integer [2; 10] 5
Numbers of basic data for the ambient air source Basic data e Integer [2; 10] 5
Capacity of the heat pump Power [KW] Real [0.0; þInf] 14.6144
Electric consumption of heat pump Power [KW] Real [0.0; þInf] 4.28248
The inlet temperatures of liquid and gaseous heat sources Temperature [ C] Real [56.6; þ31.1] 5.00
The outlet temperatures of the sink heat fluid Temperature [ C] Real [60; 90] 70
The flow rate range of source and heat sink fluid Flow kg h1 Real [5; 60] 10.00
The nominal heating capacity of the Power [KW] Real [0.0; þInf] 10
CO2 sub-critical heat pump
1830 i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f r e f r i g e r a t i o n 3 5 ( 2 0 1 2 ) 1 8 2 4 e1 8 3 2

Table 2 e Main input information for the pump and the climatic conditions.
Nom Parameters Unit Type Series Defect

Liquid source temperature Temperature [ C] Real [Inf; þInf] 18
Flow of liquid source Flow kg h1 Real [0.0; þInf] 200
Ambient temperature Temperature [ C] Real [Inf; þInf] 15
Temperature inside greenhouse Temperature [ C] Real [Inf; þInf] 12
Control function of the pump Control function e Real [0.0; 1.0] 1.0

Outlet temperature of water Inlet temperature of water ambient temperature thereafter around 3.25. Then the change of the cold source
25 25 (phase 3), the coefficient of performance of the pump
Temperature (C)

20
15
10
5 5
0 0
0 5 10 15
Time (hours)
Fig. 3 e Temporal evolution of the temperatures Ti, T0,
and Ta.
water temperature (phase 4), this power decreases to be
stabilized around 90 (kJ h1) which is also due to the stabili-
zation of the inlet temperature of water heat source.
4.5. COP for the heat pump
Temporal profiles of the COP of the heat pump indicate 4
phases (Fig. 7).
The first phase shows low values of the coefficient of
performance. This phase is followed by an ascending phase
marking a significant increase between 5 and 10 h. The third
phase shows the maximum of output of the pump. It is located
between 11 and 15 h. This phase is followed by a fall which
continues toward the end by a stabilization showing a light
fluctuation. The coefficient of performance of pump (COP) is
the ratio of delivered power by the consumed electric power.
Temperature (C)
20 increases in an appreciable way until it reaches a value which
15
exceeds value 4.08. This increase is with variation in the inlet
10
temperature of water heat source which is still followed by an
increase in delivered power and consumed electric power of
20 25 30 the pump. With the fall of the water temperature (phase 4),
this coefficient of performance decreases abruptly to be
stabilized around 3.5 which is also caused by the stabilization
of the outlet temperature of water heat source. There is a good
accordance between this theory and the experimental results
developed by Neksa (2002), its experimental results show that
CO2 may be successfully used as a working fluid in heat
pumps with very competitive performance, if the system is
properly designed. The average COP is about 3.8 and this is in
good agreement with values provided by Sakellari and
Lundqvist (2005) and Fehrm et al. (2002). The average COP is
about 3.6; the uncertainties announced by the authors are
between 5% and 7%, as well as values given by Ozcan and
Ozgener (2011). The COP is also compared with studies that
expand the analysis of heat pumps in heating mode, and
highlighting systematic errors caused by heat exchangers and
circulating pumps. Among its studies, that of Ozgener et al.
(2007) and Ozgener et al. (2005), found uncertainty is about
13%. The results give a satisfactory COP for the heat pump for
24 h of operation in January. As can be seen, the COP is
influenced by the variation in the inlet temperature of water
heat source, hence, the COP increases with increasing the
inlet temperature of water heat source.

Q_ hp 4.6. Delivered power, consumed electric power and COP

COP ¼
Q_ ei
The evolution of the consumed electric power, delivered
During the first phase (1 he5 h) the variation of COP remains
power and COP during one day can be subdivided into 4
practically constant caused by the stabilization of delivered
phases (Fig. 8).
power and consumed electric power of the pump. The
To interpret the evolution of the delivered power by the
increase in the delivered power which is due to the increase in
pump during 24 h, one must refer by Fig. 5 which shows the
the ambient temperature (phase 2), one notices an abrupt
change of the ambient temperature and the temperature of
variation of coefficient of performance to stabilize itself

Delivered power by heat pump

4 500
Power (KJ h -1)

Control function of the pump 400

Control function

3
300
2 200
100
1
0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
0
Time (hours)
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Time (hours)
Fig. 5 e Temporal evolution of the delivered power by the
Fig. 4 e Control function of the heat pump. heat pump.
 i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f r e f r i g e r a t i o n 3 5 ( 2 0 1 2 ) 1 8 2 4 e1 8 3 2
Fig. 6 e Temporal evolution of consumed electric power by
the heat pump.
COP of the heat pump
5 of the inlet temperature of water, and to the consumption of
4 electricity. Furthermore, it was shown that the production of
3 energy by the pump using the water is greater than that using
COP
2 the ambient air due to the fact that calorific capacity of water
1 is higher than the capacity corresponding to ambient air.
0
0 5 10 15 20 25
Time (hours)
Fig. 7 e Temporal evolution of COP of the heat pump.
the liquid source which represent together the cold source of
the heat pump in heating mode. During the first phase (0e5 h),
the pump working with the ambient air shows minimum
values of temperature. The consumption of the electric power
shows the lowest values recorded during the 24 h which can
explain the creation of small quantity of energy, and hence,
consequently low COP equalizes to 3. During the second phase
(5e10 h), the ambient temperature shows a progressive
increase. The consumed electric power by the pump increases
also gradually which explains the creation of a quantity of
increasingly raised energy and consequently a coefficient of
performance between 3 and 3.5.
During the phase 3 (10e15 h), the pump shows the
maximum of power production. This can be explained by
increase of the temperature of the liquid source which rea-
ches these maximum values. At the same time the consumed
electric power increases abruptly and reaches a value larger
than the value recorded during the first phase. The ratio of two
powers announces a maximum value of COP (approximately
4.08). The COP increases proportionally. During phase 4
(15e24 h), the more the water temperature decreases the more
the delivered power by the pump also decreases. In the same
way the delivered power by the pump marks a significant fall,
Fig. 8 e Temporal evolution of delivered power, consumed
electric power, and COP.
1831
and hence, it is stabilized at the end of this phase. It shows
average values with a fluctuation.
5. Conclusion
A study of geothermal heat pump in heating mode using
TRNSYS simulation has been carried out. The influence of
climatic conditions on the heat pump operating conditions
and consequently on their performance has been discussed.
The heat pumps are controlled by a simple oneoff control
system which defines the functioning mode.
From the investigation of the figures, it was demonstrated
that COP of the heat pump is proportional to the increase
Therefore, the COP of the heat pump is enhanced when the
30 operation of the pump is provided by water in the level of the
evaporator.
Numerical results show that CO2 may be successfully used
as a working fluid in heat pumps with very competitive
performance, if the system is properly designed.
As a perspective, we will look at the energy losses in heat
exchangers and in the circulation pump in order to enhance
the COP. Also, the cooling mode will be considered, and we
will focus on the vapor recovery geothermal source located in
southern Tunisia. Furthermore, we wish to extend the present
study by investigating the results obtained by the heat pump
in the greenhouses in Tunisia.
Acknowledgments
We thank Dr. Onder Ozgener, an anonymous reviewer for their
constructive reviews, which significantly helped us improve
the paper. We also thank Editor Jacques Guilpart and Editor-in-
Chief H. Auracher for editorial handling of our paper.
references
Bryan, P.R., Andrew, G.A., 2004. Control-oriented modeling of
transcritical vapor compression systems. J. Dyn. Syst. Meas.
Control 126 (1), 1e10.
Fehrm, M., Reiners, W., Ungemach, M., 2002. Exhaust air heat
recovery in buildings. Int. J. Refrigeration 25 (4), 439e449.
Haberschill, P., Guitari, I., Lallemand, A., 2006. Dynamic
behaviour of a CO2 heat pump in subcritical and transcritical
cycles. Int. J. Refrigeration 30 (4), 732e743.
Klidonas, G.P., 2005. Screw compressor packages: considerations
for use on CO2/NH3 cascade systems. Afr. Heat Cool 6 (1),
24e27.
Klein, S.A., Beckman, W.A., Mitchel, J.W., Duffie, J.A., Duffie, N.A.,
Freeman, T.L., 2000. TRNSYS Manual. University of Wisconsin,
Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
Lorentzen, G., Pettersen, J., 1993. A new, efficient and
environmentally benign system for car air-conditioning. Int. J.
Refrigeration 16 (1), 4e12.
1832 i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f r e f r i g e r a t i o n 3 5 ( 2 0 1 2 ) 1 8 2 4 e1 8 3 2
Manole, D., 2004. Temperature based CO2 system cooling
capacity control. In: Proceedings of the Sixth IIFeIIR Gustav
Lorentzen Conference on Natural Working Fluids, Glasgow,
UK, vol. 2, p. 8.
Neksa, P., Rekstad, H., Zakari, G.R., Schiefloe, P., 1998. A CO2 heat
pump water heater: characteristics, system design and
experimental results. Int. J. Refrigeration 21 (3), 172e179.
Neksa, P., 2002. A CO2 heat pump systems. Int. J. Refrigeration 25
(4), 421e427.
Ozgener, O., Hepbasli, A., 2007. Modeling and performance
evaluation of ground source (geothermal) heat pump systems.
Build. Environ. 39 (1), 66e75.
Ozgener, O., Hepbasli, A., Ozgener, L., 2007. A parametric study on
the exergoeconomic assessment of a vertical ground-coupled
(geothermal) heat pump system. Build. Environ. 42 (3),
1503e1509.
Ozgener, O., Hepbasli, A., Ozgener, L., 2005. Experimental
performance analysis of a solar assisted ground source heat
pump greenhouse heating system. Ener. Build. 37 (1),
101e110.
Ozcan, O., Ozgener, O., 2011. Energetic and exergetic performance
analysis of BetheeZeldovicheThompson (BZT) fluids in
geothermal heat pumps. Int. J. Refrigeration 34 (8), 1943e1952.
Rasmussen, B., Alleyne, A., Musser, A., 2005. Model-driven system
identification of transcritical-vapour compression systems.
IEEE Trans. Control Syst. Technol. 13 (3), 444e451.
Saikawa, M., Hashimoto, K., 1998. An Experimental Study on the
Behaviour of CO2 Heat Pump Cycle. IIFeIIR, Oslo, Norway, pp.
223e229. Commission B2, with B1, E1 and E2.
Sakellari, D., Lundqvist, P., 2005. Modelling and simulation results
for a domestic exhaust-air heat pump heating system. Int. J.
Refrigeration 28 (7), 1048e1056.
Sakellari, S., Forsén, M., Lundqvist, P., 2006. Investigating control
strategies for a domestic low-temperature heat pump heating
system. Int. J. Refrigeration 29 (4), 547e555.
Sarkar, J., Bhattacharyya, S., Gopal, M., 2006. Simulation of
a transcritical CO2 heat pump cycle for simultaneous cooling
and heating applications. Int. J. Refrigeration 29 (5), 735e743.
Skaugen, G., Svensson, M.C., 1998. Dynamic Modelling and
Simulation of a Transcritical CO2 Heat Pump Unit. IIFeIIR, Oslo,
Norway, pp. 230e239. Commission B2, with B1, E1 and E2.
Slim, R., Zoughaib, A., Clodic, D., 2008. Modeling of a solar and
heat pump sludge drying system. Int. J. Refrigeration 31 (7),
1156e1168.
Span, R., Wagner, W., 1996. A new equation of state for carbon
dioxide covering the fluid region from the triple-point
temperature to 1100 K at pressures up to 800 MPa. J. Phys.
Chem. 25 (6), 1509e1596.
Winandy, E., Hundy, G., 2004. Scroll compressors for CO2 in
cascade systems. In: Proceedings of the Sixth IIFeIIR-Gustav
Lorentzen Conference on Natural Working Fluids, Glasgow,
UK, vol. 2, p. 8.