Jules Williams Date 2/15/2012.
THE AIRCONDITIONING HEAT PUMP.
An Engineering marvel that gets very little mention:
It is not common with today’s technologies to find an operation that provides more out- put compared to the energy necessary to initiate a process. The HVAC heat pump produces out levels much higher than the energy needed for its operation.
We all know that heat flows from a warmer to a cooler condition. How is it possible to obtain enough heat from outdoors when the temperature is 35 degrees Fahrenheit or lower in order to heat an indoor space?
OPERATION OF A TYPICAL HEAT PUMP: The heat pump uses a refrigeration cycle identical to a conventional air-conditioner. A typical air-conditioner circulates a gas that has a low temperature boiling point through a coil located in the inside of a home or business. The gas being colder than the indoor air picks up heat from the space, and carries the heat to the outside where air passing through the out -door coil removes heat from the gas. The cycle is repeated until the air reaches a desired temperature.
The Heat pump operates in an identical way except it is designed to heat and cool by reversing the coils automatically. The indoor coil becomes the outdoor coil, in-order to obtain cooling or heating.
WHY WOULD I NEED SUCH A CONTRAPTION: Considering the unpredictable cost for electrical energy, locations with no natural gas has to heat homes and business with electrical heaters. Electric heating is expensive and there are other issues associated with resistance heating.
Last week I operated a test 3 ton heat pump when the outdoor temperature was 40 degrees Fahrenheit using refrigerant 410A. The discharge air temperature to the house was 75 degrees Fahrenheit . The unit was consuming 2400 watts to operate, and was delivering 27000 BTU of heat. A typical heat pump can provide 3.29 BTU’s for every watt that it consumes for operation. Compared to using electric heating , the input compared to the output would be 1 to 1. The heat pump provides more than 2 output to 1 input. In fact at 17 dry bulb and 15 wet bulb the heat pump performs at 2.6 output compared to input energy. However at 47 dry bulb and 43 wet bulb which is about normal winter for most of Texas, the heat pump operates at 3.6 times its input consumption.
Energy savings using a heat pump compared to using electricity to heat a building is between 2.5 and 3.5 time greater using a heat pump to produce heating. Indoor comfort condition is easier to obtain using a heat pump when compared to using electric resistance heating.
The heat pump operates for more hours than a conventional condenser when the condenser is sized and installed correctly.
The life expectancy of the heat pump may be less than the condenser; however considering the cost savings associated with operating a heart pump compared to resistance electrical heating the heat pump should be considered for its economic operation.
My recommendation to home and business owners is to seriously consider replacing condensers with heat pumps when access to natural gas is not possible. The cost for operating the heat pump will be 2.5 to 3.5 times lower with the heat pump when compared to electric heating.
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