Borefield design course

Welcome on the free course ‘design borefields with confidence’. In one year, we will cover every aspect of shallow geothermal borefield design. Whether you are new to the design of borefields or you have years of experience, this course is definitely for you.

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Introduction
January 2026

Welcome to our borefield design course

In this introduction you will find everything you need to know about our borefield design course, what you can expect and how you can enroll.

Part 1
Chapter 0
January 2026

The history of geothermal energy

In this first section, we will provide context for the entire course by examining the history of geothermal energy in relation to the human race.

Part 1
Chapter 1
January 2026

The advantages of a ground source heat pump

Before we discuss the importance of borefield design, let's first talk about the advantages of a ground source heat pump.

Part 1
Chapter 2
January 2026

The importance of borefield design

Now that we understand the advantages of a ground-source heat pump, the next step is to explore the importance of borefield design and the benefits of using design software.

Part 1
Chapter 3
January 2026

Required inputs: Ground properties

Before we can begin our first design, it is important to establish what information we require. In this chapter, we will discuss ground properties.

Part 1
Chapter 4
January 2026

Required inputs: Building demand

In addition to the ground data, we need to know the thermal building demand for our geothermal simulation. Sometimes, this information is available in great detail, but more often than not, it has to be estimated. This chapter will cover how you can do that.

Part 1
Chapter 5
January 2026

Required inputs: Heat pump efficiency

The last piece of information you need is the efficiency of your heat pump (and/or) heat exchanger to convert your building demand into a ground load. In this chapter, we discuss everything you need to know.

Part 1
Answers
January 2026

Part 1: Answers

In this chapter, you will find the answers to the questions in the different chapters of Part 1.

Part 2
Chapter 0
February 2026

Introduction part 2

Welcome to the second part of the course 'Design borefields with confidence.'

Part 2
Chapter 1
February 2026

Temperature profiles

Temperature profiles, in all different shapes and forms, form the basis of geothermal design and it is really important to get familiar with them before proceeding in this course.

Part 2
Chapter 2
February 2026

The effective borehole thermal resistance

One key concept in the world of borefield design is the effective borehole thermal resistance which is a measure for how good your borehole can exchange heat with the ground.

Part 2
Chapter 3
February 2026

Long-term effects: g-functions

Besides the short-term effects, borefields also experience long-term temperature variation. These are covered by the g-functions, which will be discussed in this chapter.

Part 2
Chapter 4
February 2026

Our first GHEtool simulation

To end this part, we are going to make bring all the theory into practise with our first GHEtool Cloud simulation to see the effect of different design choices on our fluid temperatures.

Part 2
Answers
March 2026

Part 2: Answers

In this chapter, you will find the answers to the questions in the different chapters of Part 2.

Part 3
Chapter 0
March 2026

Introduction part 3

Welcome to the third part of the course 'Design borefields with confidence.'

Part 3
Chapter 1
March 2026

Monthly vs hourly load profiles

In this chapter, we will discuss the benefits of using hourly load profiles instead of monthly ones for borefield simulation.

Part 3
Chapter 2
March 2026

Variable fluid properties

Historically, the fluid properties (such as density, viscosity, etc.) were often assumed to be constant over the simulation period for your borefield. In this chapter, a new, more accurate approach is presented.

Part 3
Chapter 3
March 2026

Variable flow rates

Traditionally, borefields were designed with the assumption of a constant flow rate. With the introduction of modulating heat pumps, this assumption is no longer valid. In this chapter, the advantages of using a variable flow rate to simulate your geothermal system are explained.

Part 3
Chapter 4
March 2026

Variable efficiency

Geothermal borefields are often used in combination with ground source heat pumps, and the efficiency of the heat pump is required to convert the building load into a ground load. Historically, this efficiency was assumed to be constant, but it is more accurate to use variable efficiencies.

Part 3
Answers
April 2026

Part 3: Answers

In this chapter, you will find the answers to the questions in the different chapters of Part 3.

Part 4
Chapter 0
April 2026

Introduction part 4

Welcome to the fourth part of the course 'Design borefields with confidence.'