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Heat pump cycle with an air--water working fluid

Conference ·
OSTI ID:7212387
A new thermodynamic cycle for heat pumps is discussed. The cycle resembles the Joule cycle in that it consists of an isentropic compression, a constant pressure heat rejection, an isentropic expansion with work recovery, and a constant pressure heat addition. It differs from the Joule cycle in that the working fluid is not a single gas but is instead a mixture of a gas and liquid which can appear as all four phases during the course of the cycle and undergoes at least one phase change in each process. The polytropic indices of compression and expansion can range from 1 to 1.4. A special case is described in which the heat source is the heat of fusion of water. A mathematical analysis is given and the results presented graphically. The cycle is compared to the Joule, Rankine, and Carnot and it is shown that, operating between source and sink temperatures suitable for space heating, the theoretical coefficient of performance (COP) can approach that of the Rankine cycle. Using air and water as the working fluid, the cycle may be a viable alternative to the existing Rankine systems.
Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Lab., Tenn. (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-26
OSTI ID:
7212387
Report Number(s):
CONF-770804-12
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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