Analysis of the influence of condensation temperature and compressor efficiency on heat pump system efficiency

Abstract

In heat pump cycles, heat is supplied to the working fluid from a certain group of low-temperature bodies and transferred to a group of high-temperature bodies, i.e. the heat source is at a lower temperature and the heat sink at a higher temperature. Using the method of circular processes, in synergy with the possibility of mutual conversion of thermal and mechanical interactions, the process of heat transfer from a lower temperature level to a higher temperature level is enabled. Mechanical work, which, as compensation, should be given by the environment to the system (working substance), is a difference between heat removed and heat supplied. The efficiency of the heat pump mostly depends on the temperature interval at which the process takes place, however, the efficiency of the heat pump is also affected by the thermodynamic parameters of its parts: compressor, condenser, throttle valve, and evaporator. In this paper, the influence of condensing temperature and compressor efficiency on the efficiency of the system as a whole is examined. The calculation was performed for two working substances, R123 and R134a, using the EES software package (Engineering Equation Solver) which is used for numerical modeling of thermodynamic systems, process optimization, and making process diagrams.