直到最近，阿拉斯加才安装了几台地源热泵。越来越多的地源热泵被用作阿拉斯加住宅和商业建筑的高效供暖设备；然而，关于它们在严寒气候下的长期有效性的重大问题仍然没有答案。2013年10月，开始对安装在阿拉斯加费尔班克斯的住宅规模地源热泵进行研究，以记录吸热对地面热状况的长期影响以及热泵系统效率的任何相关退化。费尔班克斯位于阿拉斯加内陆，气候极其寒冷，永久冻土不连续。在地面环路安装时，热泵地面环路周围的地面融化至约30英尺（9米）的深度，这为优化季节性霜冻区和下伏永久冻土之间的地面环路提供了一个窄带。 这些都是热泵系统运行的挑战性条件，为在阿拉斯加使用地源热泵提供了严格的测试环境。如果在设计规范范围内，地面环路周围的土壤温度降低是可以预期的，也是可以接受的。地表条件可能会影响地面温度，并最终影响热泵的效率。本研究比较了三种表面处理方法及其对地面温度的影响。采用物理监测和计算机模拟相结合的方法，研究了热泵抽热和表面处理对土壤热状况的影响。本中期报告介绍了研究项目的设计、模拟预测以及2013年11月至2014年1月的数据。 引文:ASHRAE论文CD:2014 ASHRAE年会，华盛顿州西雅图

Until recently, only a few ground source heat pumps (GSHPs) have been installed in Alaska. Increasingly GSHPs are being adopted as efficient heating devices for residential and commercial buildings in Alaska; however, significant questions about their long-term efficiency in severe cold climates remain unanswered. A study of a residential-size GSHP installed in Fairbanks, Alaska began in October 2013 in order to document the long term effects of heat extraction on the ground thermal regime and any associated degradation in the efficiency of the heat pump system. Fairbanks, located in Interior Alaska, has an extremely cold climate, along with discontinuous permafrost. The ground surrounding the heat pump ground loop was thawed to a depth of approximately 30 ft (9m) at the time of the ground loop installation, which provided a narrow band for optimizing a ground loop between the zone of seasonal frost and the underlying permafrost. These are challenging conditions for the operation of a heat pump system and provide a rigorous testing environment for using GSHPs in Alaska. Depression of the soil temperatures around the ground loop is anticipated and acceptable if within design specifications. Conditions at the surface may affect the ground temperatures and ultimately the efficiency of the heat pump. This study compares three surface treatments and their effect on ground temperatures. A combination of physical monitoring and computer simulation are used to study the effects of the heat pump heat extraction and the surface treatments on the ground thermal regime. This interim report presents information on the design of the research project, predictions from the simulations, and data from November 2013 to January 2014.