Domestic heating contributes to a significant amount of energy usage in the Netherlands. Due to scare energy resources, attention to develop new and efficient technologies is increasing. At ECN, a burner driven heat pump employing thermoacoustic technology is being developed for possible applications in households and offices. The desired temperature lift is from 10 °C to 80 °C. As a first step the heat pump is driven by a linear motor. Measurements and performance analysis of the heat pump are presented in this paper. The heat pump has a coefficient of performance which is the ratio of heat produced to the work input of 1.38 when operating between 10 °C to 80 °C. The performance relative to maximum possible Carnot value is 26.5%.
Sources and techniques of domestic heating within TRITIA region
