Enhancing heating performance of low-temperature air source heat pumps using compressor casing thermal storage

Abstract

Air source heat pumps (ASHPs) are widely recognized as energy-saving and environmentally friendly heating and air-conditioning equipment with broad applications. However, when conventional ASHPs are operated at a low ambient temperature, they suffer from problems such as high discharge temperature and low heating efficiency. To address these problems, this study designed a new type of dual evaporator combined with a compressor casing thermal storage heat pump system (DE-CCTS) on the basis of a low-temperature air source heat pump water heater with enhanced vapor injection (EVI). The proposed DE-CCTS used thermal storage phase change material (PCM), which was filled in the secondary evaporator (the thermal storage heat exchanger), to recover the waste heat of the compressor casing. Unlike that in the original system under different ambient temperatures, the suction temperature increased by 0.1-1 °C, the discharge temperature decreased by 0.1-0.5 °C, and the coefficient of performance (COP) of DE-CCTS increased by 0.85-4.72% under the proposed system. These effects were especially evident at low temperatures.