Alain Nguyen

Research scientist

I am a scientific researcher at CanmetENERGY-Varennes (Natural Resources Canada). I hold a Bachelor's degree in geological engineering and a Ph.D. in mineral engineering from Polytechnique Montréal.

My primary field of interest is low-temperature geothermal energy, a crucial energy source for a sustainable future. Using advanced simulations and real data, I focus on the environmental and economic impact of adopting geothermal heat pumps for heating and cooling, replacing conventional systems.

By quantifying the energy and cost savings, as well as the reductions in greenhouse gas emissions that these innovative systems can provide, I help provide a comprehensive understanding of their potential benefits, fostering informed decision-making and promoting sustainable energy practices.

My ultimate goal is to provide tangible solutions for a smarter energy-use, while exploring the benefits of geothermal energy for a cleaner and greener energy future.

Natural Resources Canada

Current research and/or projects

My current research focuses on the simulation and optimization of geothermal heat pump systems for low-energy buildings and communities. I am also a collaborator for the NSERC industrial chair in geothermal energy on the integration of standing column wells in commercial and institutional buildings.

Professional activities / interests

Disseminate energy analysis results through newspaper articles, media interviews and conferences.
Participate in conferences in the field of building energy.

Key publications

Articles de revues

A. Bastani, A. Nguyen, P. Eslami-Nejad, et M. Badache. Numerical investigation of using a field of shallow boreholes with latent heat storage and solar injection in cold climates. Geothermics, volume, page 112:102729, Juillet 2023.

A. Nguyen, J. Tamasauskas, et M. Kegel. A method for fast economic optimization of large hybrid ground source heat pump systems. Geothermics, volume 104, page 102473, Septembre 2022.

S. Robert, P. Pasquier, et A. Nguyen. Impact of layered heterogeneity on thermal response test interpretation performed on a standing column well operated without bleed. Geothermics, volume 101, page 102353, Mai 2022.

A. Nguyen et P. Pasquier. A successive flux estimation method for rapid g-function construction of small to large-scale ground heat exchanger. Renewable Energy, volume 165, pages 359–368, Mars 2021.

A. Nguyen. Determination of the ground source heat pump system capacity that ensures the longevity of a specified ground heat exchanger field. Renewable Energy, volume 169, pages 799–808, Mai 2021.

A. Nguyen, G. Beaudry, et P. Pasquier. Experimental assessment of a standing column well performance in cold climates. Energy and Buildings, volume 226, page 110391, Novembre 2020.

P. Eslami-Nejad, A. Nguyen, M. Cimmino, A. Bastani, et M. Badache. Performance comparison of a vertical direct expansion geothermal evaporator : Part I, single U-pipe using different refrigerants. International Journal of Refrigeration, volume 116, pages 119–128, Août 2020.

P. Eslami-Nejad, M. Cimmino, A. Nguyen, M. Badache, et A. Bastani. Performance comparison of a vertical direct expansion geothermal evaporator : PART II, multiple U-pipes. International Journal of Refrigeration, volume 116, pages 161–171, Août 2020.

A. Bastani, P. Eslami-Nejad, M. Badache, et A. Nguyen. Experimental characterization of a transcritical CO2 direct expansion ground source heat pump for heating applications. Energy and Buildings, volume 212, page 109828, Avril 2020.

A. Nguyen, P. Eslami-Nejad, M. Badache, et A. Bastani. Influence of an internal heat exchanger on the operation of a CO2 direct expansion ground source heat pump. Energy and Buildings, volume 202, page 109343, Novembre 2019.

A. Nguyen et P. Elsami-Nejad. A transient coupled model of a variable speed transcritical CO2 direct expansion ground source heat pump for space heating and cooling. Renewable Energy, volume 140, pages 1012–1021, Septembre 2019.

M. Badache, P. Eslami-Nejad, A. Bastani, Z. Aidoun, et A. Nguyen. Theoretical and experimental analysis of a vertical direct expansion geothermal evaporator using CO2 as refrigerant. Science and
Technology for the Built Environment, volume 25, pages 1081–1094, Septembre 2019.

A. Nguyen, P. Elsami-Nejad, M. Badache, et A. Bastani. Pressure–enthalpy coupled thermal resistance and capacity model (PH-TRCM) for direct-expansion borehole heat exchangers : Application for supercritical CO2. Geothermics, volume 76, pages 50–59, Novembre 2018.

A. Nguyen, P. Pasquier, et D. Marcotte. Borehole thermal energy storage systems under the influence of groundwater flow and time-varying surface temperature. Geothermics, volume 66, pages 110–118, Mars 2017.

A. Nguyen, P. Pasquier, et D. Marcotte. Thermal resistance and capacity model for standing column wells operating under a bleed control. Renewable Energy, volume 76, pages 743–756, Avril 2015.

A. Nguyen, P. Pasquier, et D. Marcotte. Influence of groundwater flow in fractured aquifers on standing column wells performance. Geothermics, volume 58, pages 39–48, Novembre 2015.

A. Nguyen et P. Pasquier. An adaptive segmentation Haar wavelet method for solving thermal resistance and capacity models of ground heat exchangers. Applied Thermal Engineering, volume 89, pages 70–79, Octobre 2015.

M. Guney, A. Nguyen, et G.J. Zagury. Estimating children’s exposure to toxic elements in contaminated toys and children’s jewelry via saliva mobilization. Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part A, volume 49, pages 1218–1227, Septembre 2014.

Articles de conférences

A. Nguyen, P. Eslami-Nejad, J. Tamasauskas, et M. Kegel. Economic optimization and parametric analysis of large hybrid ground source heat pump systems : A case study. In Proceedings of the IGSHPA Research Track 2022. International Ground Source Heat Pump Association, 2022.

C. Rose, P. Pasquier, A. Nguyen, et G. Beaudry. Forecasting hydraulic head changes in injection wells using LSTM network. In Proceedings of the IGSHPA Research Track 2022. International Ground Source Heat Pump Association, 2022.

E. P. Ngansop, M. Badache, A. Nguyen, J. Raymond, et C. Rivard. A method to evaluate the groundwater heat pump potential for buildings. In 2nd Geoscience & Engineering in Energy Transition Conference, pages 1–5, Online, 2021. Publisher : European Association of Geoscientists
& Engineers.

A. Nguyen, P. Pasquier, et D. Marcotte. Development of an ODE model featuring a three level bleed control and an off-loading sequence for standing column wells. In Proceedings of BS2013, pages 3360–3367, Chambéry, France, 2013.

A. Nguyen, P. Pasquier, et D. Marcotte. Multiphysics Modelling of Standing Column Well and Implementation of Heat Pumps Off-Loading Sequence. In Proceedings of the 2012 COMSOL, Boston, USA, 2012.

Chapitre de livre

P. Pasquier, A. Nguyen, F. Eppner, D. Marcotte, et P. Baudron. Standing column wells. In Advances in Ground-Source Heat Pump Systems, pages 269–294. Woodhead publishing. edition, Janvier 2016.

Brevet

A. Nguyen et H. Bashiri. Jet pump apparatus and methods for standing column well systems and deployment thereof. United States patent application US 2020/0284475 A1, Septembre 2020.

Thèse

A. Nguyen. Simulation d’un puits à colonne permanente en milieu fracturé à l’aide de la méthode des ondelettes de Haar. Thèse de doctorat, Polytechnique Montréal, Montréal, Canada, 2015.