A Study on the Application of Heat Pump Systems Using Discharged Groundwater for Building Heating and Cooling

This study examines the performance and economic viability of a heat pump system that utilizes discharged groundwater for heating and cooling buildings. For comparison, systems using air and river water as heat sources were also analyzed. Thermal load predictions and energy consumption assessments for an office building were performed using the TRNSYS18 simulation program. The findings revealed that the discharged groundwater system achieved the highest seasonal performance factor (SPF), with values of 2.28 for heating and 3.21 for cooling. An economic evaluation was conducted using the air-source heat pump system as a baseline, focusing on both initial investment and operating costs. The results indicated that the groundwater and river-source systems could reduce annual operating costs by 24.1% and 19.0%, respectively, compared to the air-source system. Despite the higher SPF, the estimated payback periods were approximately 9 years for the groundwater system and 12 years for the river system.