Neural network approach to prediction of temperatures around groundwater heat pump systems

A fundamental aspect in groundwater heat pump (GWHP) plant design is the correct evaluation of the thermally affected zone that develops around the injection well. This is particularly important to avoid interference with previously existing groundwater uses (wells) and underground structures. Temperature anomalies are detected through numerical methods. Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) models are widely used in this field because they offer the opportunity to calculate the time evolution of the thermal plume produced by a heat pump. The use of neural networks is proposed to determine the time evolution of the groundwater temperature downstream of an installation as a function of the possible utilization profiles of the heat pump. The main advantage of neural network modeling is the possibility of evaluating a large number of scenarios in a very short time, which is very useful for the preliminary analysis of future multiple installations. The neural network is trained using the results from a CFD model (FEFLOW) applied to the installation at Politecnico di Torino (Italy) under several operating conditions. The final results appeared to be reliable and the temperature anomalies around the injection well appeared to be well predicted.