Experimental performance analysis and optimization of a direct expansion solar-assisted heat pump water heater

In this study, a direct expansion solar-assisted heat pump water heater (DX-SAHPWH) with rated input power 750 W was tested and analyzed. Through experimental research in spring and thermodynamics analysis about the system performance, some suggestions for the system optimization are proposed. Then, a small-type DX-SAHPWH with rated input power 400 W was built, tested and analyzed. Through exergy analysis for each component of DX-SAHPWH (A) and (B), it can be seen that the highest exergy loss occurs in the compressor and collector/evaporator, followed by the condenser and expansion valve, respectively. Furthermore, some methods are suggested to improve the performance of each component, especially the collector/evaporator. A methodology for the design optimization of the collector/evaporator was introduced and applied. In order to maintain a proper matching between the heat pumping capacity of the compressor and the evaporative capacity of the collector/evaporator under widely varying ambient conditions, the electronic expansion valve and variable frequency compressor are suggested to be utilized for the DX-SAHPWH.     

直接膨胀式太阳能热泵系统的理论分析

简述了直接膨胀式太阳能热泵的基本工作原理,从热力学理论出发,对直接膨胀式太阳能热泵的循环进行了理论热力分析,提出了系统各主要部件的能量平衡和火用平衡方程,分析了系统的性能系数COP和火用效率Eη。     

Two-stage direct expansion solar-assisted heat pump for high temperature applications

Direct expansion solar-assisted heat pump (DX-SAHP) systems have been proposed as viable alternatives to conventional solar-assisted heat pump systems. This study proposes the use of two-stage DX-SAHP systems for high temperature applications in the range of 60–90 °C. The study investigates the capability of these systems of meeting loads with high temperature requirements. The thermal performance of the systems is analyzed for refrigerant R-134a, using a one-cover solar collector. Comparisons between the two-stage DX-SAHP and the single-stage DX-SAHP systems are performed and presented. A graphical procedure is illustrated and used for sizing the solar collector area and the heat pump compressor displacement capacity for the two DX-SAHP systems.     

Thermal performance analysis of a direct-expansion solar-assisted heat pump water heater

A direct-expansion solar-assisted heat pump water heater (DX-SAHPWH) is described, which can supply hot water for domestic use during the whole year. The system mainly employs a bare flat-plate collector/evaporator with a surface area of 4.2 m², an electrical rotary-type hermetic compressor, a hot water tank with the volume of 150 L and a thermostatic expansion valve. R-22 is used as working fluid in the system. A simulation model based on lumped and distributed parameter approach is developed to predict the thermal performance of the system. Given the structure parameters, meteorological parameters, time step and final water temperature, the numerical model can output operational parameters, such as heat capacity, system COP and collector efficiency. Comparisons between the simulation results and the experimental measurements show that the model is able to give satisfactory predictions. The effect of various parameters, including solar radiation, ambient temperature, wind speed and compressor speed, has been analyzed on the thermal performance of the system.     

Long-term performance of solar-assisted heat pump water heater

A long-term reliability test of an integral-type solar-assisted heat pump water heater (ISAHP) was carried out. The prototype has been running continuously for more than 13,000 h with total running time >20,000 h during the past 5 yr. The measured energy consumption is 0.019 kWh/l of hot water at 57 ^oC that is much less than the backup electric energy consumption of the conventional solar water heater.     

Optimal performance of an irreversible solar-assisted heat pump

The thermodynamic optimization of a mechanically driven solar heat pump is presented. A new expression to describe the optimal thermal performance under finite operating conditions considering the internal and external irreversibilities during actual operation is derived. The optimum ratio between the condenser and collector–evaporator conductances (UA) determines the coefficient of performance (COP) for the maximum heating load of the system. An experimental air-R22 heat pump was used to determine the traditional performance parameters (COP and second law efficiency) which are compared with those obtained using the expressions derived in this work. Results show that the new model very closely represents the performance of real systems.     

Thermal performance of a solar-assisted heat pump drying system with thermal energy storage tank and heat recovery unit

Thermal performance parameters for a solar-assisted heat pump (SAHP) drying system with underground thermal energy storage (TES) tank and heat recovery unit (HRU) are investigated in this study. The SAHP drying system is made up of a drying unit, a heat pump, flat plate solar collectors, an underground TES tank, and HRU. An analytical model is developed to obtain the performance parameters of the drying system by using the solution of heat transfer problem around the TES tank and energy expressions for other components of the drying system. These parameters are coefficient of performances for the heat pump (COP) and system (COPs), specific moisture evaporation rate (SMER), temperature of water in the TES tank, and energy fractions for energy charging and extraction from the system. A MATLAB program has been prepared using the expressions for the drying system. The obtained results for COP, COPs, and SMER are 5.55, 5.28, and 9.25, respectively, by using wheat mass flow rate of 100 kg h⁻¹, Carnot efficiency of 40%, collector area of 100 m², and TES tank volume of 300 m³ when the system attains periodic operation duration in fifth year onwards for 10 years of operation. Annual energy saving is 21.4% in comparison with the same system without using HRU for the same input data.     

Thermal analysis of PV/T evaporator of a solar-assisted heat pump

The performance of photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) solar collector had been studied theoretically and experimentally for some years. Air and water streams were used as the heat carriers for space heating or services hot water systems. The cooling effect allows the PV module to work at lower temperature and its PV efficiency is therefore improved. However, such an advantage diminishes when the solar irradiance is high. To improve the situation a new type of PV/T collector is proposed. It works as the evaporator of a heat pump, in that refrigerant evaporates in the tubing at the back of the flat-plate collector and the PV module is adhered to the front surface. Mathematical models were developed to simulate the complex energy conversion processes. Numerical analysis was then performed based on the distributed parameters approach. An experimental rig was also built to test its real performance. Our results showed that the PV/T evaporator had an overall efficiency in the range of 0.64–0.87, thermal efficiency 0.53–0.64 and PV efficiency 0.124–0.135. The simulation results were found in good agreement with the experiment measurements. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Experimental performance analysis on a direct-expansion solar-assisted heat pump water heater

A direct expansion solar assisted heat pump water heater (DX-SAHPWH) experimental set-up is introduced and analyzed. This DX-SAHPWH system mainly consists of 4.20 m² direct expansion type collector/evaporator, R-22 rotary-type hermetic compressor with rated input power 0.75 kW, 150 L water tank with immersed 60 m serpentine copper coil and external balance type thermostatic expansion valve. The experimental research under typical spring climate in Shanghai showed that the COP of the DX-SAHPWH system can reach 6.61 when the average temperature of 150 L water is heated from 13.4 °C to 50.5 °C in 94 min with average ambient temperature 20.6 °C and average solar radiation intensity 955 W/m². And the COP of the DX-SAHPWH system is 3.11 even if at a rainy night with average ambient temperature 17.1 °C. The seasonal average value of the COP and the collector efficiency was measured as 5.25 and 1.08, respectively. Through exergy analysis for each component of the DX-SAHPWH system, it can be calculated that the highest exergy loss occurs in the compressor, followed by collector/evaporator, condenser and expansion valve, respectively. Further more, some methods are suggested to improve the thermal performance of each component and the whole DX-SAHPWH system.     

Numerical simulation and experimental validation of indirect expansion solar-assisted multi-functional heat pump

A novel indirect expansion solar-assisted multi-functional heat pump (IX-SAMHP) system which composes of the multi-functional heat pump system and solar thermal collecting system is proposed and studied in this paper. This system can fulfill space heating, space cooling and water heating with high energy efficiency by utilizing solar energy. For solar water heating mode and solar space heating mode, a dynamic model is presented and validated with the experimental results. The simulation results show good consistency with the experimental data, and the established model is able to predict the system performance at a reasonable accuracy (with the root mean square deviations less than 5%). On this basis, the performances of the IX-SAMHP system are investigated under different parametric conditions. For solar water heating mode, simultaneously operating the solar thermal collecting system and multi-functional heat pump system can be an energy efficiency method. With the solar irradiation rising from 0W/m² to 800W/m², the COP increases from 2.35 to 2.57. In solar space heating mode, the effect of the mass flow rate of water in evaporator is investigated. To balance the heating capacity and COP, the mass flow rate of water should be adjusted according to different temperature demands and heat load.     

辐照强度对直膨式太阳能热泵性能影响的研究

文章搭建了直膨式太阳能热泵热水系统实验装置,研究了辐照强度对直膨式太阳能热泵性能的影响。结果表明,在环境温度及冷凝温度不变的情况下,蒸发温度及性能系数(COP)值随着辐照强度的增大而升高,且辐照强度增加200 W/m2,蒸发温度升高3~5℃,COP值升高0.8~1.2;得热效率随着辐照强度的增大而降低,其降低速率随着辐照强度的增大而逐渐减小。     

Integral-type solar-assisted heat pump water heater

An integral-type solar-assisted heat pump water heater (ISAHP) is designed and tested in the present study. The storage tank and the Rankine cycle unit are integrated together to make a more compact size. A thermosyphon loop is used to transfer the heat from the condenser to the water storage tank. The highest COP obtained in the tests is 3.83.     

直膨式太阳能热泵运行特性的实验研究

对直接膨胀式太阳能热泵热水系统进行了实验研究,实验期间,太阳能辐照度变化范围为143.12~664.6 W/m2,分别采用三种不同结构的集热器和蒸发器,得出系统COP为2.49~3.47,表明该系统在各种天气情况下均能够可靠地生产45℃的生活热水,热性能稳定,可以全天候地提供生活热水且具有节能效果;同时选取双集热器的两组数据,分析了太阳辐照度对热泵系统运行的影响。     

Thermodynamic and economic evaluation of a solar-assisted heat pump

A solar-assisted heat-pump system is proposed to supply heat for industrial processes in the range 100 to 130°C. The system is economically superior to electrical heating and solar-only systems, and is competitive with fuel burning systems.     

Exergy analysis and optimization of a solar-assisted heat pump

A theoretical and experimental exergy analysis of a solar-assisted heat pump for air heating is presented. An experimental prototype that operates as a solar-assisted or as a conventional heat pump was tested to determine exergetic efficiency, total system irreversibility and component irreversibilities. A methodology for determination of the optimum temperature of the working fluid in the evaporation and condensation steps is proposed. The methodology is based on maximization of efficiency in these two parts of the system.     

Performance analysis of a solar-assisted heat pump water heater

A modeling and system simulation of an integral-type solar assisted heat pump water heater (ISAHP) was carried out in the present study. The modeling and simulation assumes a quasi-steady process for all the components in the ISAHP except the storage tank. The simulation results for instantaneous performance agreed very well with experiment. The simulation technique was used to analyze the daily performance of an ISAHP for 1 year. It is shown that the daily total COP (COP_o) is around 1.7 to 2.5 year around for the ISAHP, depending on seasons and weather conditions. COP_o is higher than 2.0 for most of the time in a year and the daily operating time varies from 4 to 8 h. The online adjustment requirement of the expansion valve was also investigated using the present simulation technique. The analysis shows that the expansion device does not need to be controlled online. Using the 1-year simulation results, a universal daily performance correlation of the ISAHP was derived and shown experimentally to be applicable to another design of ISAHP.     

太阳能电池与热泵热水器联合运行系统性能分析

为了降低太阳能光伏电池的温度,同时提升热泵热水器的蒸发温度,利用循环水路冷却太阳能光伏电池,并将热量传递给热泵热水器的蒸发器,构成联合运行系统。针对杭州市的夏季和冬季气象条件,对该联合运行系统的性能进行了计算,分析了对应不同太阳能电池温度下的系统运行参数的变化情况,包括太阳能电池发电效率和所需换热量,热泵热水器的制热量以及热泵效率等。计算结果表明,该联合运行系统能够同时提高太阳能电池光伏转换效率和热泵效率。     

The simulation of performance of seasonal heat storage coupled to solar-assisted heat pump in Jordan

In this paper the performance of seasonal heat storage coupled to solar-assisted heat pump in the Jordan region was investigated. The system has been studied by means of a model in which the thermal budget of each component has been described by simplified differential equation. A parametric analysis has provided the yearly energy saving by varying the building heat requirement, the area of collectors, the heat storage size, and insulation for different area. As a result, a number of diagrams are proposed, which can be used for preliminary evaluation of the efficiency of these kinds of systems.     

Heat-pipe enhanced solar-assisted heat pump water heater

A heat-pipe enhanced solar-assisted heat pump water heater (HPSAHP) is studied. HPSAHP is a heat pump with dual heat sources that combines the performance of conventional heat pump and solar heat pipe collector. HPSAHP operates in heat-pump mode when solar radiation is low and in heat-pipe mode without electricity consumption when solar radiation is high. HPSAHP can thus achieve high energy efficiency. A prototype was designed and built in the present study. An outdoor test for a HPSAHP in the present study has shown that COP of the hybrid-mode operation can reach 3.32, an increase of 28.7% as compared to the heat-pump mode COP (2.58).     

Performance characteristics of integral type solar-assisted heat pump

The characteristic of an integral type solar-assisted heat pump water heater (ISAHP) is investigated in the present study. The ISAHP consists of a Rankine refrigeration cycle and a thermosyphon loop that are integrated together to form a package heater. Both solar and ambient air energies are absorbed at the collector/evaporator and pumped to the storage tank via a Rankine refrigeration cycle and a thermosyphon heat exchanger. The condenser releases condensing heat of the refrigerant to the water side of the thermosyphon heat exchanger for producing a natural-circulation flow in the thermosyphon loop. A 105-liter ISAHP using a bare collector and a small R134a reciprocating-type compressor with rated input power 250 W was built and tested in the present study. The ISAHP was designed to operate at an evaporating temperature lower than the ambient temperature and a matched condition (near saturated vapor compression cycle and compressor exhaust temperature <100°C). A performance model is derived and found to be able to fit the experimental data very well for the ISAHP. The COP for the ISAHP built in the present study lies in the range 2.5–3.7 at water temperature between 61 and 25°C.