Ground Water Issues in Geothermal Heat Pump Systems

摘要

Geothermal (or ground source) heat pump systems have become a popular space conditioning system for buildings in recent years and the number of installations is expanding rapidly. The industry has worked extensively to conform to the existing ground water regulatory framework and to develop products and practices that rigorously protect ground water resources. This article reviews system basics and addresses some of the ground water-related issues associated with various designs. In any article addressing this topic, a necessary prerequisite is the establishment of terminology. Common terms that refer to the entire range of systems types are ground source heat pumps (GSHP), geothermal heat pumps (GHP), and GeoExchange. All systems include three basic components: 1. Some means of interchanging heat with the ground, ground water, or surface water 2. Heat pump 3. System to distribute the heating and cooling to the building (usually a duct system).