Ground Source Heat Pump Research in South Korea

An experimental ground source heat pump plant has been installed in 2003 in the city of Daejon, South Korea, in a German-Korean co-operation. Different types of borehole heat exchangers (BHE) with different types of thermally enhanced grout are investigated under controlled circumstances, allowing a comparison. The tests are complemented with the determination of underground thermal parameters using the first thermal response test equipment built in Korea. On the heat pump side, an innovative concept with the inclusion of an ice storage system is used, in order to allow the use of cheap night-time electricity for cold production in summer. The plant is purely for R&D-purposes, however, different components already have been applied successfully on the market. The paper describes the layout of the test plant as well as the results achieved meanwhile.