Performance assessment of a solar pond-based thermal energy storage system integrated with a heat pump for building heating
Journal of Energy Storage, cilt.178, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 178
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1016/j.est.2026.123744
- Dergi Adı: Journal of Energy Storage
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Compendex, INSPEC
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Economic and carbon analyses, Energy and exergy efficiency, Energy storage, Heat pump, Solar pond, Space heating
- Çukurova Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
This study investigates a coupled system integrating a rectangular solar pond (SP) with a heat pump for domestic space-heating, emphasizing the thermal energy storage characteristics of the solar pond and heat transfer mechanisms governing energy release from the storage to the heat pump. A 16 m × 8 m × 2 m solar pond serves as a low-grade thermal energy storage reservoir, supplying stored thermal energy to the heat pump evaporator to meet the heating demand of a 10 m × 10 m × 3 m residential building. The system is modeled using Engineering Equation Solver, focusing on the thermal energy storage performance of the solar pond and its impact through energetic, exergetic, economic, and environmental assessments. The analysis reveals the dynamic behavior of the stored thermal energy and its discharge to the heat pump. The overall energy efficiencies of the residential heating system were determined as 24.83%, 17.36%, 9.35%, and 21.58%, whereas the corresponding exergy efficiencies were calculated as 1.80%, 1.18%, 0.50%, and 1.42% for January, February, March, and December, respectively. These results directly reflect the combined effects of heat transfer from the solar pond's thermal energy storage to the heat pump evaporator and the associated mass flow behavior of the working fluid within the HP cycle. Over the four-month heating period, the energetic coefficient of performance of the heat pump (COPₑₙ) is calculated as 3.77, 4.41, 5.89, and 4.90, while the exergetic coefficient of performance (COPₑₓ) ranges between 0.64, 0.73, 0.90 and 0.80. These COP values, particularly their variation, are a direct indicator of the thermal energy storage system's ability to consistently supply heat to the HP, demonstrating improved thermodynamic performance due to enhanced heat extraction from the solar pond-based storage. Economic analysis compared to conventional electric resistance heating system shows that integrating the solar pond as thermal energy storage significantly improves heat pump efficiency while reducing electricity consumption, with a payback period of 4.07 years based on the achieved COP values. Environmentally, the solar pond thermal energy storage-assisted heat pump system reduces CO₂ emissions by 1.40 tons per heating season compared to a conventional electric resistance heating system. Overall, the solar pond-based thermal energy storage coupled with a heat pump offers effective heat transfer for thermal energy discharge, providing a technically reliable, energy-efficient, economically feasible, and environmentally sustainable solution for residential winter heating.