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Long-term field test and performance assessment of a novel deep borehole heat exchanger array system coupled with solar thermal storage in severely cold regions

Author

Listed:
  • Huang, Shuai
  • Dong, Jiankai
  • Jiang, Yiqiang
  • Lu, Yuanshen
  • Sun, Wei
  • Zhao, Qingjun
  • Li, Ji

Abstract

Deep borehole heat exchangers (DBHEs) have emerged as a promising solution for clean building heating. However, their long-term performance in severely cold regions remains insufficiently investigated. This study presents continuous field measurements from 2017 to 2025 for a DBHE array coupled with a solar thermal storage system in Daqing, a representative severely cold region in China where winter temperatures can drop to nearly −30 °C and the heating season lasts 193 days, thereby filling the gap in long-term data for such regions. The results showed that without thermal storage, the DBHE array's heating capacity and efficiency declined from 2017 to 2022, indicating difficulty in meeting long-term heating demand. After installing the solar thermal storage system in 2022, the evaporator inlet temperature during 2022–2025 stabilized between 6.5 and 7.5 °C, while the condenser inlet temperature rose to 36–43 °C. During the 2024–2025 heating season, the system's heating power and coefficient of performance (COP) recovered to 195.2 kW and 3.50, increasing by 31.4 % and 25.2 % compared with their lowest values. Furthermore, a numerical model of the DBHE array was developed to investigate the influence of seasonal thermal storage on the rock-soil temperature field. Implementing thermal storage effectively mitigated rock-soil temperature decay and cold accumulation, especially improving temperatures in the shallow and medium layers. The findings demonstrate the effectiveness of the DBHE–solar coupled system in enhancing long-term stability and energy utilization in severely cold regions, providing a solid foundation for its large-scale application.

Suggested Citation

  • Huang, Shuai & Dong, Jiankai & Jiang, Yiqiang & Lu, Yuanshen & Sun, Wei & Zhao, Qingjun & Li, Ji, 2026. "Long-term field test and performance assessment of a novel deep borehole heat exchanger array system coupled with solar thermal storage in severely cold regions," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 342(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:342:y:2026:i:c:s036054422505409x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2025.139766
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    References listed on IDEAS

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