CO2 heat pump systems

After the CFCs and the HCFCs were deemed unfit as working fluids in refrigeration, air conditioning, and heat pump applications, there has been a renaissance for carbon dioxide technology. Heat pumps is one of the application areas where theoretical and experimental investigations are now performed by an increasing number of research institutions and manufacturers. This paper gives an overview of some of the current activities in the CO₂ heat pump field. Discussed are the important characteristics of the transcritical CO₂ process applied to heat pumps, and also discussed are theoretical and experimental results from several heat pump applications. Provided that calculations and system designs are performed on the premises of the working fluid, and that test plants are constructed and operated to fully exploit the specific characteristics of both the fluid and the transcritical process, the results show that CO₂ is an attractive alternative to the synthetic fluids. Competitive products may be launched in the near future.     

Heating performance enhancement of a CO2 heat pump system recovering stack exhaust thermal energy in fuel cell vehicles

A CO₂ heat pump system using recovered heat from the stack coolant was provided for use in fuel cell vehicles, where the high temperature heat source like in internal combustion engine vehicles is not available. The refrigerant loop consists of an electric drive compressor, a cabin heater, an outdoor evaporator, an internal heat exchanger, an expansion valve and an accumulator. The performance characteristics of the heat pump system were investigated and analyzed by experiments. The results of heating experiments were discussed for the purpose of the development and efficiency improvement of a CO₂ heat pump system, when recovering stack exhaust heat in fuel cell vehicles. A heater core using stack coolant was placed upstream of a cabin heater to preheat incoming air to the cabin heater. The performance of the heat pump system with heater core was compared with that of the conventional heating system with heater core and that of the heat pump system without heater core, and the heat pump system with heater core showed the best performance of the selected heating systems. Furthermore, the coolant to air heat pump system with heater core showed a significantly better performance than the air to air heat pump system with heater core.     

Compact heat exchangers, enhancement and heat pumps

In order to achieve widespread use of heat pumps across the full spectrum of potential applications, it is critical that the first cost of the units is acceptable. There are many factors influencing this cost, including the number of units manufactured, the ease of installation, the complexity of the control requirements, and the cost of the working fluid(s). A common feature of all heat pump cycles is the presence of at least one heat exchanger, indeed some heat-driven cycles are composed almost entirely of heat exchangers, each having a different but critical role to play. There are several important aspects of heat exchangers that can help to reduce first cost of these components and the system, (in addition to the possible positive impact on coefficient of performance). Two of these are discussed here — compact heat exchangers (CHEs) and heat transfer enhancement. The latter may be directly associated with CHEs but can be equally beneficial in reducing approach temperature differences in 'conventional' shell and tube heat exchangers. Both are essential features of many intensified processes, which the author argues need compatible heat pumps if the market for the latter is to flourish. In this paper, the most recent types of CHE are described, with emphasis on the benefits they can bring to heat pump first cost and performance. Heat transfer enhancement in heat pumps is also reviewed.     

“Heat pumps — status and trends” in Asia and the Pacific

In Asian and Pacific regions, economic growth in the last decade has propelled the use of air-conditioners for space cooling along with the use of reversible heat pumps for year round space conditioning. This has led to the rapid increase of electricity demand for air conditioning in summer. To cope with the increasing power demand and the requirement for efficient energy use for space conditioning, governments and energy supply utilities have encouraged effective use and leveling of power load using a heat pump with thermal storage systems and gas cooling systems, by enacting financial and promotional supports. Status and trends of heat pumps in Asian and Pacific regions, related to the use of heat pumps for space heating and cooling were surveyed from the view points of climate, energy consumption, technologies, markets and promotion measures.     

Exhaust air heat recovery in buildings

The technique of heat recovery from ventilation air in dwellings started in Sweden in late 1979. This was due to an energy crisis and new building codes. The competing heat recovery system, air to air heat exchangers, had a firm grip on the market. Today the situation is on the contrary. Almost all new single family houses are equipped with exhaust air heat pumps. This paper describes the development of the market in Sweden and Germany and also the different techniques of supplementary heating due to national differences in electricity prices. Germany has a situation very similar to Sweden concerning new building codes concerning the allowable energy use for space heating. Starting in 1976 and continued from 1982 to 1995, the building code has prescribed tighter and more insulated houses. The new building code for the year 2000 contains requirements for well insulated and tight buildings so the energy demand for heating from ventilation air tends to reach about 60% of the total annual energy demand for the building. Under these circumstances new buildings must have ventilation systems with heat recovery. Different means of heat recovery from the ventilation system, and the benefit for the environment, by using heat pumps are described. The German market for heat recovery systems is approx. 5–10.000 units/year. Most important for the efficiency of a ventilation system is to maintain the quality criterias concerning:equipmentplanning, installation, taking into operationoperation.VEW ENERGIE AG has accomplished a field survey of 60 units from 1994 to 1996. As the result was not statistically sufficient, the field survey is followed by an investigation into air quality and reliability.     

Energy roof as heat pump source/sink

An energy roof was considered both as a source for a heat pump and as a sink during the summer for a machine acting as an air conditioner. Performance looks very promising compared with similar systems which are equipped with finned coils utilizing the outside air as source/sink.     

Condensation of hydrocarbons – A review

Hydrocarbons are one of the candidates for refrigerants of next generation heat pump and refrigeration systems. Although the hydrocarbons have superior thermophysical properties as a refrigerant to fluorocarbons and are widely used in domestic refrigerators, their flammability prevents their wide application to larger systems, such as residential and packaged air conditioners, car air conditioners, heat pumps, etc. In this paper, recent studies on condensation of hydrocarbons are reviewed since it is one of the key technologies. For in-tube condensation, heat transfer coefficients of smooth tubes are correlated well with previously proposed equation developed with data of the fluorocarbons. On the other hand, few data are available for enhanced tubes. In the case of condensation on a horizontal tube, heat transfer of smooth tube is explained well by the Nusselt theory. However, different heat transfer characteristics appear for enhanced tubes. Since blended hydrocarbons would be used to obtain suitable properties, models of mixed vapor condensation are also reviewed.     

Carbon dioxide as a working fluid in drying heat pumpsLe dioxyde de carbone comme fluide actif dans des séchoirs à pompe à chaleur

Carbon dioxide as a working fluid in refrigeration and heat pump systems is increasingly important in view of the CFC substitution problem. It is both under ecological and economical aspects an attractive alternative to the HFC working fluids at present in practical use. The thermophysical properties and characteristics of carbon dioxide are quite different from those of refrigerants used in conventional vapour compression cycles. Its application in conventional vapour compression refrigerating systems is limited by its critical parameters (t_c=31.1°C and p_c=73.8 bar). The possibility to use carbon dioxide also beyond these limits in high temperature processes, e.g. heat pumps, is given by the application of a trans-critical process. The design and construction of a commercial drying heat pump system (batch type cabinet dryer with 12 kW heating capacity and closed air circuit) using the natural working fluid carbon dioxide is shown and experimental results of investigations carried out are presented. Energy savings are given compared to manufacturer's data of energy consumption.     

Regional report Europe: “heat pumps — status and trends”

By 1997 about 90 million heat pumps have been installed worldwide, only less than 5% are located in Europe, historically the cradle of this “thermodynamic heating and cooling process”. The majority of the approximately 4 million installed heat pumps are imported reversible air-to-air systems in southern Europe and only 30% represent the typical European-made heating only electric driven compression systems for space and water heating in buildings in central and northern Europe. The first and second oil crises has been the main cause for a first European heat pump “boom” at the end of the seventies. Consequently the following drop in energy prices negatively influenced the market in some countries. The new renaissance in Europe in the middle of the nineties was initiated by the understanding of sustainable development for a more efficient energy use and the related protection of the environment.     

Investigation of R-744 Voorhees transcritical heat pump system

Using economizer in R-744 heat pump cycle is an effective way to improve the heating capacity in cold climates. In this paper, a modification construction of reciprocating compressor with economizer port, a Voorhees compressor was introduced and the heat pump cycle with Voorhees economizer was compared with the traditional screw or scroll economizer cycles. Both the R-744 transcritical heat pumps with and without Voorhees economizer were tested at the same conditions with different air mass flow rates and different evaporating temperatures. The results show that the heating capacity of the heat pump with Voorhees economizer can be two times higher than the transcritical heat pump without economizer at low evaporating temperature conditions. At the same capacity operation conditions, the efficiency of the heat pump with Voorhees economizer is higher at high refrigerant mass flow rate conditions. The optimum discharge pressure of the heat pump with Voorhees economizer is found to be higher than the heat pump without economizer at the same ambient conditions. For mobile heat pump application, CO₂ transcritical heat pump with Voorhees economizer demonstrates better performance comparing to the conventional transcritical CO₂ heat pump without economizer when the evaporating temperature is lower than −20 °C, or when the mobile is idling with low compressor RPM.     

Hybrid absorption heat pump with ammonia/water mixture – Some design guidelines and district heating application

An ammonia/water mixture can be used as an efficient working fluid in industrial-type heat recovery heat pumps and heat transformers. Several configurations of such systems are possible depending on the availability of the waste (thermal) and primary (thermal or electrical) energy sources. This article presents the configurations, the main thermodynamic and hydraulic parameters, and some design guidelines and operating experiences of a medium-temperature, ammonia/water-based compression/re-sorption heat recovery system for district domestic hot water production. In-field experiments have proven the advantages of the concept and its applicability limits in a particular economical environment, while hot water was produced at 55 °C with industrial cooling water at 36 °C as a waste heat source.     

Performance evaluation of a CO2 heat pump system for fuel cell vehicles considering the heat exchanger arrangements

A novel CO₂ heat pump system was provided for use in fuel cell vehicles, when considering the heat exchanger arrangements. This cycle which had an inverter-controlled, electricity-driven compressor was applied to the automotive heat pump system for both cooling and heating. The cooling and heating loops consisted of a semi-hermetic compressor, supercritical pressure microchannel heat exchangers (a gas cooler and a cabin heater), a microchannel evaporator, an internal heat exchanger, an expansion valve and an accumulator. The performance characteristics of the CO₂ heat pump system for fuel cell vehicles were analyzed by experiments. Results for steady and transient state performance were provided for various operating conditions. Furthermore, experiments to examine the arrangements of a radiator and an outdoor heat exchanger were carried out by changing their positions for both cooling and heating conditions. The arrangements of the radiator and the outdoor heat exchanger were tested to quantify cooling/heating effectiveness and mutual interference. The improvement of heating capacity and coefficient of performance (COP) of the CO₂ heat pump system was up to 54% and 22%, respectively, when using preheated air through the radiator instead of cold ambient air. However, the cooling capacity quite decreased by 40–60% and the COP fairly decreased by 43–65%, for the new radiator-front arrangement.     

Field test investigation of a double-stage coupled heat pumps heating system for cold regions

This paper reports a double-stage coupled heat pumps (DSCHP) heating system, which couples air source heat pump (ASHP) and water source heat pump (WSHP) together. The system is presented for the first time in open literature with the objective to improve the working condition and heating performance of the ASHP under cold environment. A practical project in Beijing firstly installed this system and field test has been performed for one month. The test results indicate that the DSCHP system can be smoothly and efficiently used for heating in cold regions. Compared with the traditional ASHP heating system, the operating characteristics of the DSCHP heating system are greatly improved, demonstrating that the system can offer considerable application potential in cold regions.     

An experimental study on heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics of carbon dioxide during gas cooling process in a horizontal tube

The heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop during gas cooling process of CO₂ (R744) in a horizontal tube were investigated experimentally. The experiments are conducted without oil in the refrigerant loop. The main components of the refrigerant loop are a receiver, a variable-speed pump, a mass flow meter, a pre-heater and a gas cooler (test section). The water loop consists of a variable speed pump, an isothermal tank, and a flow meter. The refrigerant, circulated by the variable-speed pump, condenses in the inner tube while water flows in the annulus. The gas cooler of tube diameter is 6000 mm in length, and it is divided into 12 subsections.The pressure drop of CO₂ in the gas cooler shows a relatively good agreement with those predicted by Blasius's correlation. The local heat transfer coefficient of CO₂ agrees well with the correlation by Bringer–Smith. However, at the region near Pseudo-critical temperature, the experiments indicate higher values than the Bringer–Smith correlation. Based on the experimental data presented in this paper, a new correlation to predict the heat transfer coefficient of supercritical CO₂ during in-tube cooling has been developed. The majority of the experimental values are within 18% of the values predicted by the new correlation.     

Energy-efficient flat-tube heat exchangers for indirectly cooled display cabinets

Different designs of flat-tube heat exchangers with plain fins have been evaluated theoretically in a parameter study in order to evaluate their performance potential in indirectly cooled display cabinets. Two different types of flat-tube heat exchangers were considered; one with serpentine fins and one with continuous plate fins. Both flat-tube heat exchanger types were adapted to the laminar flow regime on the liquid as well as on the air side. The performance of the two heat exchanger types had previously been verified experimentally under dehumidifying conditions. The results from this parameter study show that considerable savings in the required electric drive power to compressors, pumps and fans can be obtained in comparison with the traditional cooling coil. The savings may be up to 15%. In addition, the required temperature difference for the flat-tube heat exchangers is so small that frost-free operation is possible, which would result in even larger savings.     

Effects of metal mass on the performance of adsorption heat pumps utilizing zeolite 4A coatings synthesized on heat exchanger tubesEffets de la masse métallique sur la performance des pompes à chaleur à adsorption utilisant des revêtements en zéolite 4A synthétisé sur les tubes de l'échangeur de chaleur

The effects of the wall thickness of stainless steel heat exchanger tubes on the performance of adsorption machines, employing zeolite 4A coatings synthesized on metal heat exchanger tubes, are investigated. A recently developed mathematical model is used to determine the cycle durations when various wall thicknesses of the heat exchanger tubes as well as different zeolite layer thicknesses are utilized. For each case, the power and the COP_cycle values of the system are estimated. In general, very high power and quite low COP_cycle values are obtained when the proposed arrangement is utilized in the adsorption heat pumps. The zeolite layer thicknesses that may result in obtaining high COP_cycle values are generally much higher than the optimum layer thickness value that maximizes the power and the utilization of layers thicker than the optimum value may lead to significant extensions in the cycle durations and hence to a decrease in the power obtained from the system. Decreasing the wall thickness of the heat exchanger tubes increases both the power and the COP_cycle values when the optimum zeolite layer thickness for each wall thickness is taken into account. The possibility of such an enhancement will most probably be limited by the minimum wall thickness value that can actually be obtained by the available technology. The COP values of adsorption heat pumps may also be increased by using regenerative processes. Due to the generally low COP values obtained, the proposed arrangement seems especially suitable to be employed in adsorption machines utilizing energy sources of low economical value, such as waste heat. An optimum compromise between the COP value, which is closely related to the operating costs, and the power of the system should be provided, in case more valuable energy sources are utilized.     

A study on the performance of multi-stage condensation heat pumpsEtude sur la performance des pompes à chaleur à condensation en plusieurs étages

In this study, computer simulation programs were developed for multi-stage condensation heat pumps and their performance was examined for CFC11, HCFC123, HCFC141b under the same condition. The results showed that the coefficient of performance (COP) of an optimized ‘non-split type’ three-stage condensation heat pump was 25–42% higher than that of a conventional single-stage heat pump. The increase in COP differed among the fluids examined. The improvement in COP was due largely to the decrease in average temperature difference between the refrigerant and water in the condensers, which resulted in a decrease in thermodynamic irreversibility. For the three-stage heat pump, the highest COP was achieved when the total condenser area was evenly distributed to the three condensers. For the two-stage heat pump, however, the optimum distribution of total condenser area varied with working fluids. For the three-stage system, splitting the condenser cooling water for the use of intermediate and high pressure subcoolers helped increase the COP further. When the individual cooling water for the intermediate and high pressure subcoolers was roughly 10% of the total condenser cooling water, the optimum COP was achieved showing an additional 11% increase in COP as compared to that of the ‘non-split type’ for the three-stage heat pump system.     

Fluids for high temperature heat pumps

The theoretical performances of some 250 potential work fluids in vapour compression heat pumps condensing at 150°C and evaporating at 100°C have been predicted, using expression for coefficient of performance (COP) and minimum superheat that involve only easily accessible physical properties. Expected correlations were found between COP and critical temperature, between specific compressor displacement and normal boiling point, T_bp, and between condensing pressure and T_bp. Correlations were also found between minimum superheat and both molecular weight and critical pressure. From these correlations, the desirable basic properties of a high temperature heat pump fluid are deduced. The principle of corresponding states is invoked to explain the connection between minimum superheat and critical pressure, and hence the reason why perfluorinated compounds tend to make poor work fluids.     

CO2-heat pump water heater: characteristics, system design and experimental results

CO₂ is one of the few non-toxic and non-flammable working fluids that do not contribute to ozone depletion or global warming, if leaked to the atmosphere. Tap water heating is one promising application for a trans-critical CO₂ process. The temperature glide at heat rejection contributes to a very good temperature adaptation when heating tap water, which inherits a large temperature glide. This, together with efficient compression and good heat transfer characteristics of CO₂, makes it possible to design very efficient systems. A heating-COP of 4.3 is achieved for the prototype when heating tap water from 9°C to 60°C, at an evaporation temperature of 0°C. The results lead to a seasonal performance factor of about 4 for an Oslo climate, using ambient air as heat source. Thus, the primary energy consumption can be reduced with more than 75% compared with electrical or gas fired systems. Another significant advantage of this system, compared with conventional heat pump water heaters, is that hot water with temperatures up to 90°C can be produced without operational difficulties.     

Capacity-controlled ground source heat pumps in hydronic heating systems

The objective of this study was to investigate the energy-saving potential of using variable-speed capacity control instead of the conventional intermittent operation mode for domestic ground source heat pumps. Variable-speed capacity control is commonly used in air-to-air heat pumps, but not in ground source heat pumps for hydronic heating systems, even though the energy-saving potential may be greater for this application. A theoretical analysis indicates how the energy efficiency is influenced by variable-speed capacity control of the compressor. The analysis shows that, to take full advantage of the capacity control, care should be taken to achieve the correct relationship between refrigerant flow and heat transfer media flows. Intermittent control and variable-speed capacity control were compared by laboratory tests on two capacity-controlled heat pumps and one standard heat pump with a single-speed compressor. Test data were then used for seasonal performance factor (SPF) calculations. The SPF calculations show that despite improved performance at part load the variable-speed controlled heat pump did not improve the annual efficiency compared to the intermittently operated heat pump. This is mainly due to inverter and compressor motor efficiencies and the need for improved efficiency and control of pumps used in the heating and ground collector systems.