SBIR Phase I:Ground-Loop Heat Exchanger Solution for Low Cost Ground-Source Heat Pumps

这项小型企业创新研究（SBIR）项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力在于，它将显著降低住宅和商业地源热泵（GSHP）系统的初始成本，同时通过扩大地源热泵的适用性扩大现有市场。该项目将展示一种新型地下热交换器在现实条件下的可行性和性能，这种热交换器既便宜又易于安装，即使在空间有限的地段，也不会破坏景观。该技术将导致节能采暖/通风/空调（HVAC）技术的更多采用，增加能源经济的“电气化”，减少空气污染排放。这些GSHP系统将影响全国供暖和制冷系统市场，每年可能节省超过6.4万亿btu的能源，最终用户节省77美元。每年的能源成本降低了2亿美元，峰值电力需求减少了144gw。SBIR第一期项目建议进一步开发一种技术，解决地源热泵系统的适用性、可取性和成本竞争力问题。该项目的主要技术目标是通过在一系列现实条件下进行数字和物理原型设计，提高对地下热交换器性能和安装方法的基本了解，从而优化系统组件和架构。第二个技术目标是提高对该技术储能能力的基本理解，以及如何通过运行循环来进一步提高性能成本比。除了计算流体动力学（CFD）模拟之外，还将进行物理原型、安装和热性能的研究。主要目标是在安装性能成本比方面展示显著的优势，并且与目前最先进的16小时安装时间相比，典型的3吨住宅系统的安装时间不到8小时。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project is that it will significantly lower the initial cost of residential and commercial ground-source heat pump (GSHP) systems, while expanding the existing market through broadening GSHP applicability. This project will demonstrate the feasibility and performance under real-world conditions of a novel in-ground heat exchanger that is both inexpensive and easy to install, even on space-constrained lots, with little landscape disruption. The technology will lead to increased adoption of energy-efficient heating/ventilation/air conditioning (HVAC) technology, increasing the “electrification” of the energy economy and reducing air polluting emissions. These GSHP systems will impact the national market of heating and cooling systems, with potential annual energy savings of over 6.4 quadrillion BTUs, end-user savings of $77. B in annual energy costs, and reduced peak electricity demand by 144 GW.This SBIR Phase I project proposes to further develop a technology addressing the applicability, desirability and cost-competitiveness of GSHP systems. The chief technical objective of the project is to optimize system components and architectures by increasing fundamental understanding of in-ground heat exchanger performance and installation methods through digital and physical prototyping across a range of real-world conditions. A second technical objective is to improve fundamental understanding of the energy storage capability of the technology and how it can be leveraged through operational cycling to further increase the performance-cost ratio. Studies of physical prototyping, installation and thermal properties will be conducted, in addition to computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations. The primary goals are to demonstrate significant benefits in installed performance-to-cost and an installation time of under 8 hours for a typical residential 3-ton system, compared to the current state-of-the-art of 16 hours.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.