Heating performance of a vapor compression heat pump cascaded with a thermoelectric heat pump

Hu, Yifeng; Shen, Bo; Wan, Hanlong; Gluesenkamp, Kyle R.; Krishnamoorthy, Sreenidhi; Shirey, Don

doi:10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2024.123397

Heating performance of a vapor compression heat pump cascaded with a thermoelectric heat pump

Journal Article · Fri May 10 00:00:00 EDT 2024 · Applied Thermal Engineering

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2024.123397· OSTI ID:2397401

^[1]; ^[1]; ^[1]; ^[1]; Krishnamoorthy, Sreenidhi ^[2]; Shirey, Don ^[2]

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Building Technologies Research and Integration Center (BTRIC)
Electric Power Research Inst. (EPRI), Palo Alto, CA (United States)

Air source heat pumps (ASHPs) are widely utilized for heating and cooling in residential buildings; however, their effectiveness in heating mode is compromised during extreme weather conditions. Extensive research endeavors have been undertaken to develop, test, and assess a cost-effective vapor compression ASHP suitable for cold climate regions. Further, this study takes an innovative approach by developing component and system prototypes for a cold climate heat pump. This design combines a thermoelectric heat pump (TEHP) with a traditional residential split ASHP to augment heating capacity in low ambient temperature conditions. The component and system prototypes underwent experimental testing in the psychrometric chambers. The experimental findings revealed a 13.6% to 13.7% increase in total heat pump heating capacity, accompanied by a 3.1% to 5.0% decrease in the coefficient of performance (COP) at ambient temperatures of -15°C and -19°C, when compared to the original ASHP. The COP of the TEHP is relatively constant, ranging from 1.63 to 1.76. This prototype offers a solution to address the challenges associated with reduced heat pump capacity at low ambient temperatures. The experimental results indicated that the lower the ambient temperature, thermoelectric heat pump auxiliary heating can increase the heating efficiency 60% in comparison to electric resistance.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE; USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE); USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Energy Efficiency Office. Building Technologies Office

Grant/Contract Number:: AC05-00OR22725

OSTI ID:: 2397401

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 2352789
OSTI ID: 2438879

Journal Information:: Applied Thermal Engineering, Journal Name: Applied Thermal Engineering Vol. 249; ISSN 1359-4311

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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