Smartec SA in cooperation with Tecnopenta s.r.l. provided a customized fiber optic monitoring system for a geothermal project in Italy.
The University of Bologna (dep. Fisica Tecnica) owner of the plant, built in the framework of the HEGOS European research project (new heat pumps for Harvesting EnerGeticO in Smart buildings) contacted us to measure the temperature inside a 26mm tube. The innovative plant adopts a dual-source (air and ground) heat pump designed to exchange heat with the ground or with external air. The use of external air, as an auxiliary heat source, enables to obtain a more stable energy performance even in the presence of an undersized (30% to 50%) borehole exchanger and/or by unbalanced heating and cooling loads. Using a control unit, it is possible to continuously select the best heat source and activate the corresponding heat exchanger (air or ground).