Mixed arrangement of multiple input-output borehole systems

•New analytic solutions are given for the multiple input-output boreholes configurations.•Series and parallel configurations are analyzed.•Accelerating scheme is used to simulate hourly loads for long periods.•Impact of the different configurations on thermal performance is presented.•Applicability of the method for practical applications is discussed. For years, geothermal boreholes have been used to store and extract thermal energy. While analytical and numerical models have long been employed to study the behavior of such systems in a bid to predict borehole behavior, the configurations used have been limited to one inlet and one outlet to bore fields. A general framework for analyzing very complex borehole configurations is presented in this paper, with the possibility of the boreholes having different configurations and different inlet conditions; as well, they can be in parallel or in series. The algorithm described allows multi-year hourly simulations to be completed in just several seconds. The model was validated with other models when simple configurations were analyzed. Several typical applications in which this model can be used are also presented.