Technical Note. Influence of Material Used for the Regenerator on the Properties of a Thermoacoustic Heat Pump

2013 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 565-570 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bartłomiej Kruk

Abstract Research in termoacoustics began with the observation of the heat transfer between gas and solids. Using this interaction the intense sound wave could be applied to create engines and heat pumps. The most important part of thermoacoustic devices is a regenerator, where press of conversion of sound energy into thermal or vice versa takes place. In a heat pump the acoustic wave produces the temperature difference at the two ends of the regenerator. The aim of the paper is to find the influence of the material used for the construction of a regenerator on the properties of a thermoacoustic heat pump. Modern technologies allow us to create new materials with physical properties necessary to increase the temperature gradient on the heat exchangers. The aim of this paper is to create a regenerator which strongly improves the efficiency of the heat pump.

2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yirong Jiang ◽  
Srinivas Garimella

Abstract Novel air-coupled and hydronically coupled heat pumps using microchannel components were investigated in this study. The air-coupled system uses microchannel tube, multilouver fin heat exchangers as the evaporator and condenser. In the hydronically coupled heat pump, refrigerant in the evaporator as well as the condenser transfers heat to an intermediate fluid such as an ethyleneglycol solution. The glycol loops are connected to the indoor/outdoor air through liquid-air heat exchangers. Models to simulate cycle thermodynamics, and single- and two-phase heat transfer in the components were developed to design these systems for cooling and heating mode operation. The components were optimized to develop the most compact systems that would satisfy system performance requirements. These systems were also compared with a conventional round-tube, plate-fin heat pump, which was designed using a commercially available simulation tool. Results from this study show that indoor and outdoor units of air-coupled microchannel systems can be packaged in only one-half and one-third the space required for a conventional system. Even more compact refrigerant heat exchangers are required in the hydronically coupled system, because of the high heat transfer coefficients for these liquid-coupled heat exchangers, and the counterflow orientation. The hydronic coupling offers flexibility in system location, and is well suited for integrated space-conditioning and water heating systems. Both air-coupled and hydronically coupled systems result in significant reductions in refrigerant inventories compared to round-tube systems. The refrigerant charge of the microchannel air-coupled system is 20% less than that of the round-tube heat pump. For the hydronically coupled system, the refrigerant charge is only 10% of the charge in the round-tube heat pump.


Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 1853 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pavel Neuberger ◽  
Radomír Adamovský

The efficiency of a heat pump energy system is significantly influenced by its low-temperature heat source. This paper presents the results of operational monitoring, analysis and comparison of heat transfer fluid temperatures, outputs and extracted energies at the most widely used low temperature heat sources within 218 days of a heating period. The monitoring involved horizontal ground heat exchangers (HGHEs) of linear and Slinky type, vertical ground heat exchangers (VGHEs) with single and double U-tube exchanger as well as the ambient air. The results of the verification indicated that it was not possible to specify clearly the most advantageous low-temperature heat source that meets the requirements of the efficiency of the heat pump operation. The highest average heat transfer fluid temperatures were achieved at linear HGHE (8.13 ± 4.50 °C) and double U-tube VGHE (8.13 ± 3.12 °C). The highest average specific heat output 59.97 ± 41.80 W/m2 and specific energy extracted from the ground mass 2723.40 ± 1785.58 kJ/m2·day were recorded at single U-tube VGHE. The lowest thermal resistance value of 0.07 K·m2/W, specifying the efficiency of the heat transfer process between the ground mass and the heat transfer fluid, was monitored at linear HGHE. The use of ambient air as a low-temperature heat pump source was considered to be the least advantageous in terms of its temperature parameters.


Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 1762 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhe Wang ◽  
Fenghui Han ◽  
Yulong Ji ◽  
Wenhua Li

A marine seawater source heat pump is based on the relatively stable temperature of seawater, and uses it as the system’s cold and heat source to provide the ship with the necessary cold and heat energy. This technology is one of the important solutions to reduce ship energy consumption. Therefore, in this paper, the heat exchanger in the CO2 heat pump system with graphene nano-fluid refrigerant is experimentally studied, and the influence of related factors on its heat transfer enhancement performance is analyzed. First, the paper describes the transformation of the heat pump system experimental bench, the preparation of six different mass concentrations (0~1 wt.%) of graphene nanofluid and its thermophysical properties. Secondly, this paper defines graphene nanofluids as beneficiary fluids, the heat exchanger gains cold fluid heat exergy increase, and the consumption of hot fluid heat is heat exergy decrease. Based on the heat transfer efficiency and exergy efficiency of the heat exchanger, an exergy transfer model was established for a seawater source of tube heat exchanger. Finally, the article carried out a test of enhanced heat transfer of heat exchangers with different concentrations of graphene nanofluid refrigerants under simulated seawater constant temperature conditions and analyzed the test results using energy and an exergy transfer model. The results show that the enhanced heat transfer effect brought by the low concentration (0~0.1 wt.%) of graphene nanofluid is greater than the effect of its viscosity on the performance and has a good exergy transfer effectiveness. When the concentration of graphene nanofluid is too high, the resistance caused by the increase in viscosity will exceed the enhanced heat transfer gain brought by the nanofluid, which results in a significant decrease in the exergy transfer effectiveness.


Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 1274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arif Widiatmojo ◽  
Sasimook Chokchai ◽  
Isao Takashima ◽  
Yohei Uchida ◽  
Kasumi Yasukawa ◽  
...  

The cooling of spaces in tropical regions, such as Southeast Asia, consumes a lot of energy. Additionally, rapid population and economic growth are resulting in an increasing demand for space cooling. The ground-source heat pump has been proven a reliable, cost-effective, safe, and environmentally-friendly alternative for cooling and heating spaces in various countries. In tropical countries, the presumption that the ground-source heat pump may not provide better thermal performance than the normal air-source heat pump arises because the difference between ground and atmospheric temperatures is essentially low. This paper reports the potential use of a ground-source heat pump with horizontal heat exchangers in a tropical country—Thailand. Daily operational data of two ground-source heat pumps and an air-source heat pump during a two-month operation are analyzed and compared. Life cycle cost analysis and CO2 emission estimation are adopted to evaluate the economic value of ground-source heat pump investment and potential CO2 reduction through the use of ground-source heat pumps, in comparison with the case for air-source heat pumps. It was found that the ground-source heat pumps consume 17.1% and 18.4% less electricity than the air-source heat pump during this period. Local production of heat pumps and heat exchangers, as well as rapid regional economic growth, can be positive factors for future ground-source heat pump application, not only in Thailand but also southeast Asian countries.


Author(s):  
Sunil Mehendale

In HVACR equipment, internally enhanced round tube (microfin) designs such as axial, cross-grooved, helical, and herringbone are commonly used to enhance the boiling and condensing performance of evaporators, condensers, and heat pumps. Typically, such tubes are mechanically expanded by a mandrel into a fin pack to create an interference fit between the tube outside surface and the fin collar to minimize the thermal contact resistance between tube and fin. However, during this expansion process, the internal enhancements undergo varying amounts of deformation, which degrades the in-tube thermal performance. Extensive data on condensing heat transfer coefficients in microfin tubes have been reported in the open literature. However, researchers have seldom used expanded tubes to acquire and report such data. Hence, it is always questionable to use such pristine tube data for designing heat exchangers and HVACR systems. Furthermore, the HVACR industry has been experiencing steeply rising copper costs, and this trend is expected to continue in coming years. So, many equipment manufacturers and suppliers are actively converting tubes from copper to aluminum. However, because of appreciable differences between the material properties of aluminum and copper, as well as other manufacturing variables, such as mandrel dimensions, lubricant used, etc., tube expansion typically deforms aluminum fins more than copper fins. Based on an analysis of the surface area changes arising from tube expansion, and an assessment of the best extant in-tube condensation heat transfer correlations, this work proposes a method of estimating the impact of tube expansion on in-tube condensation heat transfer. The analysis leads to certain interesting and useful findings correlating fin geometry and in-tube condensation thermal resistance. This method can then be applied to more realistically design HVACR heat exchangers and systems.


2020 ◽  
Vol 154 ◽  
pp. 04003
Author(s):  
Elżbieta Hałaj

Heat pumps become more and more popular heat source. They can be an alternative choice for obsolete coal fired boilers which are emissive and not ecological. During heat pump installation designing process, especially for heat pumps with higher heating capacity (for example those suppling larger buildings), a simulation of heat balance of ground heat source must be provided. A 3D heat transport model and groundwater flow in the geothermal heat source for heat pump (GSHP) installation was developed in FEFLOW according to Finite Element Modelling Method. The model consists of 25 borehole heat exchangers, arranged with spacing recommended by heat pump branch guidelines. The model consists of both a homogeneous, non-layered domain and a layered domain, which reflected differences in thermal properties of the ground and hydrogeological factors. The initial temperature distribution in the ground was simulating according to conditions typical for Europe in steady state heat flow. Optimal mesh refinement for nodes around borehole heat exchangers were calculated according to Nillert method. The aim of this work is to present influence of geological, hydrogeological factors and borehole arrangement in the energy balance and long term sustainability of the ground source. The thermal changes in the subsurface have been determined for a long term operation (30 years of operation period). Some thermal energy storage applications have also been considered.


2013 ◽  
Vol 700 ◽  
pp. 231-234
Author(s):  
Lian Yang ◽  
Yong Hong Huang ◽  
Liu Zhang

There are many ground source heat pumps in engineering construction application. However, Research on heat exchanger models of single-hole buried vertical ground source heat pump mostly focuses on single U-tube ground heat exchangers other than double U-tube ones in China currently. Compared with single U-tubes, double U-tubes have the heat transfer particularity of asymmetry. Therefore, the use of the traditional single tube models would have large error in the simulation of the actual double U-tube heat exchangers. This paper frames a three-dimensional heat transfer model for the vertical single-hole buried double u-tube heat exchanger in a ground source heat pump system. The model considers the performance of U-bube material and uses a dual coordinate system and makes the control elemental volumes superimposed.


Author(s):  
Xiaoan Mao ◽  
Lei Shi ◽  
Artur J. Jaworski ◽  
Wasan Kamsanam

In thermoacoustic devices, an acoustic wave interacts with internal solid structures such as thermoacoustic stacks (regenerators), to either produce acoustic power due to an imposed temperature gradient, or to produce a heat pumping effect by an acoustic excitation. A cold and hot heat exchangers are usually placed on either side of these internal solid structures to enable heat communication between the thermoacoustic devices and their surroundings. Heat exchangers of various geometries have been extensively studied in steady flows and results are available from a collection of published articles and handbooks. However, there is still a lack of data for heat exchangers in an oscillatory flow, because the interaction of oscillatory flow with the solid boundary is governed by complicated fluid flow and heat transfer processes that are not fully understood. This work is a step towards a better understanding of the heat transfer mechanisms in the acoustically induced oscillatory flow within thermoacoustic systems, in particular obtaining the quantitative description of the heat transfer between heat exchangers and the stack. The assembly of a stack and heat exchangers is replaced by a simplified “stack-less” pair of heat exchangers, in order to focus on the generic heat transfer processes rather than the intricacies of practical thermoacoustic systems. The fins of the hot and cold heat exchangers are kept at constant temperatures by virtue of resistive heating and water cooling, respectively. Planar Laser Induced Fluorescence (PLIF) and Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) are used to obtain the temperature and velocity fields around the fins. The heat flux between the heat exchanger fins and the fluid is analyzed phase-by-phase. The time dependent local heat transfer coefficient is obtained from the temperature gradient in the thermal boundary layer. The measurements are conducted at various levels of acoustic excitation in order to study the correlation between the non-dimensional heat transfer coefficient Nu and the Reynolds number. The effect of the flow behaviour at the end of the plates on the temperature field in the region is also studied. It is hoped that this work could lead to a better understanding of heat transfer on short plates in the acoustically induced oscillatory flows.


2018 ◽  
Vol 44 ◽  
pp. 00157
Author(s):  
Piotr Rynkowski

The paper presents the ground temperature analysis, heat flows and energy transferred from the soil massif by the vertical ground heat exchangers (VGHE). Three cases – with one, two and three vertical heat exchangers were compared. Their influences on the soil massif temperature in the heat exchangers area were shown. The mass flow and the temperature at the inlet and outlet side of the heat pump were measured in each circuit. Additional, the electricity consumption by the heat pump and energy supply to buffer vessel were measured. Finally, the Coefficient of Performance (COP) as a function of length of VGHE is shown for selected interval time.


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