Experiences on sustainable heating and cooling with an aquifer thermal energy storage system at a Belgian hospital

This paper presents the basic parameters and energy flows of an aquifer thermal energystorage (ATES) system combined with reversible water/water heat pumps used for heatingand cooling the new hospital Klina (Antwerp Belgium). The installation system is one of thefirst ATES projects in Belgium, and its operation is monitored with the aid of a DAQ system.The energy flows, primary energy consumption, CO2 emission reduction, were calculatedbased on DAQ loggings of the first 3 years of systems operation. It is proved that the ATESsystem is a highly energy efficient system delivering 74% of the total cooling demand. TheCOPcooling of the ATES system was 45. A primary energy saving of 69% on cooling energywas achieved. These figures prove that in heating and cooling mode, the ATES system issignificantly less demanding in terms of primary energy.