Thermal capacity: Additional relative efficiency to assess the overall performance of heat pump-based heating systems

J. E. De León-Ruiz, I. Carvajal-Mariscal

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

7 Scopus citations

Abstract

The present analytical study is carried out to introduce the thermal capacity, a relative efficiency based on a different approach, to assess the performance of heat pump-based systems. Through the first law of thermodynamics and the universal heat transfer coefficient, the heat yielded by the heat pump and the thermal load demanded by the product are quantified respectively, consequently determining the heat transfer capabilities of the system. This performance metric was tested using experimental data published on different researches using four distinct setups, working under various geographical and climatological conditions and for both indoor air conditioning and water heating purposes. Since the parameter introduced was developed as a complement to the already existing relative efficiencies, when combined with the coefficient of performance, COP, a region of minimum required performance is created, where the heat pump is expected to operate, being able to fulfill the energy demand of the product while maintaining an acceptable performance. Finally, the information provided by the thermal capacity was found to be useful regarding the design and operation of these systems due to its conditional nature, enabling the operator or decision maker to assess categorically the performance and to propose modifications to the heat pump system accordingly.

Original languageEnglish
Article number113841
JournalApplied Thermal Engineering
Volume159
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 2019

Keywords

  • COP
  • Design
  • Heat pump
  • Relative Efficiency
  • Thermal Capacity
  • Thermodynamics

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