Hot Fridge, by Peter Mulvihill
For specifiers, designers, M&E Engineers and operators Heat Pumps inevitably are subject to the Marmite Effect - you either love them or hate them.
When considering a heat pump being integrated into a system it is necessary to know the rules, regulations, common mistakes, pros, limits of use and methods of sizing – so let’s go!
Heat Pump Family Tree:
First of all the term “heat pump” covers a genus of varying machines. In summary the main types are: Monoblock: Infers the evaporator, condenser & compressor are in one single casing; the refrigeration cycle occurs in one location.
Split or DX (Direct Exchange): Infers the evaporator, condenser & compressor are split; the refrigeration cycle occurs in different locations i.e. inside & outside the building. Absorption Refrigeration Heat Pump: Uses natural gas as the energy for the refrigerant cycle instead of an electrically powered compressor, typically Monoblock can be air or ground source type unit. Generally very reliable as only two moving parts, solution pump & fan for air source models.
That’s The Sum of It
So you’re considering a heat pump; the main point to remember is that the heat pump is just one component in the system; this single word carries a lot of weight in any design or when considering any heat source, more so than any other aspect, the system must be compatible for the heat source and vice versa.
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