SBIR Phase I: Innovative Advection-Enhanced Geothermal Heat Pump Fieldloop Demonstration

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是以可持续的方式解决与建筑供暖和制冷相关的高成本。供暖/制冷约占建筑能耗的48%。地源热泵（GSHPs）是一种节能且环境可持续的供暖和制冷解决方案，但其高昂的前期资本成本大大限制了部署。该项目采用了一种完全不同的地源热泵传热方法，与传统的地源热泵系统相比，预期结果是安装成本降低了50%，运营成本降低了20%。该项目将全面测试和分析地源热泵创新的性能，改进技术设计和安装参数，并为商业部署做好准备。这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一期项目解决了地源热泵系统安装成本高和占地面积大的问题，目的是提供一个具有成本效益，可广泛部署，建筑供暖和制冷的可再生解决方案。该项目将推进创新的地源热泵现场回路技术，从数值和实验室分析到制造和现场测试。总体研究目标是确定在真实世界条件下创新的地源热泵现场回路的性能。研究计划包括：1）开发用于现场的创新地源热泵系统的综合数值模型; 2）现场测试，包括最终设计、安装和现场设备的运行; 3）初始现场测试后的数值模型和设备设计改进; 4）安装和测试改进设备; 5）开发综合成本、能源使用和排放模型。预计该项目将产生一个商业化的地源热泵产品，设计和安装指南，大大降低（高达50%）地源热泵的安装成本，同时提高其性能。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project is to address the high costs associated with building heating and cooling in a sustainable fashion. Heating/cooling constitute approximately 48% of building energy consumption. Ground-source or geothermal heat pumps (GSHPs) represent an energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable heating and cooling solution, but their high upfront capital costs have significantly limited deployment. This project takes a fundamentally different approach to GSHP heat transfer, with the expected result that installation costs are decreased by up to 50% and operating costs by 20% compared to conventional GSHP systems. This project will thoroughly field test and analyze the performance of the GSHP innovation, advancing the technology design and installation parameters, and readying it for commercial deployment.This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project addresses the problem of the high installation cost and large, disruptive footprint of GSHP systems, with the objective to provide a cost-effective, widely-deployable, renewable solution for building heating and cooling. This project will advance an innovative GSHP field loop technology from numerical and laboratory analyses to manufacturing and field testing. The overall research objective is to determine the performance of the innovative GSHP field loop under real-world conditions. The research program includes: 1) development of a comprehensive numerical model of the innovative GSHP system for field sites; 2) field testing, including final design, installation, and operation of equipment at a field site; 3) numerical model and equipment design refinement following initial field testing; 4) installation and testing of modified equipment; and 5) development of a comprehensive cost, energy use and emissions model. It is anticipated that the project will result in a commercially-ready GSHP product, with design and installation guidelines, that substantially (by up to 50%) reduces the installation cost of GSHPs while improving their performance.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.