Numerical Simulation Modeling of a GSHP and WSHP System for an Office Building in the Hot Summer and Cold Winter Region of China: A Case Study in Suzhou

This paper studies the long-term performance of a Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) system and a Water Source Heat Pump (WSHP) system for an office building in Suzhou, which is a hot summer and cold winter climate region of China. The hot summer and cold winter region is the most urbanized region of China and has subtropical monsoon climate, therefore, Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems are in great demand. Due to the fact that 42.5% of Suzhou’s total area is covered by lakes and rivers, the city has an abundance of surface water resources. Based on Suzhou’s meteorological data and the thermal characteristics of the building envelope, an office building model was created and the dynamic cooling and heating load was calculated using Transient System Simulation (TRNSYS) simulation software. Two numerical HVAC modeling systems were created: a GSHP system for which the data of an in-situ Thermal Response Test (TRT) was used and a WSHP system for which the Tai Lake water temperature was used. Simulating the performance of both systems over a 20-year period, the two systems were analyzed for their Coefficient of Performance (COP), heat source temperature variation, and energy consumption. The results show that the GSHP system causes ground heat accumulation, which reduces the system’s COP and increases energy consumption. The study also revealed that compared with the GSHP system, the WSHP system has a more stable long-term performance for buildings in Suzhou.