This report presents a literature study that was carried out to collect data and informationudrequired for developing a strategy to assess the suitability and sustainability of UK aquifersudfor (open-loop) GSHP installations. Developing such a strategy requires a goodudhydrogeological understanding but also a good knowledge of what GSHP systems areudcurrently in use, how they are used, what problems are associated with their use and how theyudare regulated. Once this is understood, a methodology can be devised that assesses theudsuitability of an aquifer/location for GSHP installations and considers its sustainable use.udConsidering the complexity of influencing factors and processes, this is likely to include theuduse of numerical models and/or data management tools, such as GIS.udThis report collects and summarizes the information available in the contemporary literatureudon open-loop ground source heat pump (GSHP) applications. Chapter 1 provides a briefudintroduction and background information on the subject. In Chapter 2, information on theudgeneral use of open-loop GSHP technology within the UK are gathered together withudstatistics on the number of installations and capacities. Chapter 3 gives specific examples ofudschemes that are currently in operation in the UK and worldwide. Where available, thisudincludes system-specific data such as abstraction rates, thermal capacities and information onudthe system’s design. Chapter 4 summarizes available information and data on the costeffectivenessudof GSHP installations while Chapter 5 discusses potential problems associatedudwith the running of such schemes. Chapter 6 is concerned with the regulation of GSHPudsystems. It gives a brief outline of existing regulatory approaches as currently employedudwithin different European countries as well as the US. Finally Chapter 7 examines existingudmodelling approaches that have been used to investigate how GSHP schemes impact on theudsource aquifer. The chapter also reviews GIS-based tools that evaluate the suitability andudsustainability of an aquifer for GSHP installations.
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