Award Date

1-1-2002

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Architecture (MArch)

Department

Architecture

First Committee Member

Adil Sharag-Eldin

Number of Pages

219

Abstract

A series of parametric studies evaluate the architectural impacts on the design and long term performance of ground-coupled heat pump systems over a fixed period of time. The results are applied to a commercial office building in order to assess the net impact of combining various energy efficiency strategies. The conclusion of the comprehensive study is that energy efficient design strongly contributes to a reduction in the required size of a ground-coupled heat pump system. A comparative life-cycle cost analysis validates these results by using the same commercial office building design to evaluate a ground-coupled heat pump system against two other commonly used HVAC systems for commercial building applications; The analysis indicates that ground-coupled heat pump systems perform competitively against other systems in terms of life-cycle costs. The impact on the ground temperature at the ground-loop in such a system rises significantly over the simulation period of 25 years. This condition strongly suggests that ground-coupled heat pump systems that do not incorporate a secondary means of heat disposal such as a cooling tower or absorption chiller may not be the most suitable HVAC system type for commercial office buildings in Las Vegas. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).

Keywords

Architectural; Buildings; Commercial; Ground; Heat; Impact; Las Vegas; Nevada; Pumps; Source; Vegas

Controlled Subject

Architecture; Environmental sciences; Mechanical engineering; Force and energy

File Format

pdf

File Size

6369.28 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

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