Computational modelling of ground heat exchangers for geothermal energy

Geothermal energy sources have received significant attention in recent years as a source of renewable energy. Ground source heat pump (GSHP) systems using ground heat exchangers (GHEs) are one of the most popular geothermal technologies, using the ground as a heat source in winter and a heat sink in summer for heating and cooling buildings. These systems are capable of achieving more energy-efficient performance than conventional heating and cooling systems in the long term. However, geothermal energy currently supplies less than a few percent of the total energy consumed worldwide. The dominant factor of the ineffective utilisation of geothermal energy is the uncertainty involved in estimating the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of geothermal systems. One of the main reasons for this uncertainty is the absence of computational tools capable of simulating rigorous geothermal processes in a computationally efficient manner. In this project, we aim to develop a massively parallel Lattice Boltzmann method (LBM)-based computationally efficient model capable of simulating convective–conductive processes occurring in a complicated three-dimensional geometry, using the graphics processing units (GPUs) with short computational time.