| Abstract |
Shallow geothermal solutions for heating buildings are now being considered in remote cold climates like northern Canada, where buildings are often isolated and off-grid. Diesel heating remains the conventional choice in these areas, posing significant environmental and economic challenges, including fuel transportation logistics and spill risks. Ground-Coupled Heat Pump (GCHP) operations in off-grid settings need to be better documented and will be made by the Centre TERRE looking to construct a research facility in Jonquière (Quebec) to demonstrate the use of various renewables in remote regions. The borefield of the main building at this research facility will cover base heating and cooling loads. Research presented in this abstract has the objective of characterizing the subsurface and simulating the operation of the GCHP system to evaluate long-term reliability of the system that will be installed at this demonstration facility. A proper assessment of the undisturbed ground temperature and the ground thermal conductivity and volumetric heat capacity was initially made. Using the FEFLOW software, numerical simulations were performed to analyze the system performance over 30 years. The study compared three heating alternatives: a GCHP system, an electric heater combined with an air conditioning unit, and a gas boiler coupled with an air conditioning unit. Results revealed that the GCHP system to be installed has the highest reliability, with an annual energy consumption of 13,781 kWh. Moreover, it achieved significant energy savings compared to other solutions, outperforming the other systems by 26,640 kWh/year and 30,818 kWh/year, respectively. |