Combined heat pump-district heating network energy source

¹ WBiA, West Pomeranian University of Szczecin, al. Piastów 50, 70-311 Szczecin, Poland
² WTMiT, West Pomeranian University of Szczecin, al. Piastów 41, 70-001 Szczecin, Poland

^* Corresponding author: karolinakurtz@gmail.com, kurtz@zut.edu.pl

Abstract

The article describes the innovative combination of the heat pump's operation with the heating network called as cHPNes. The heat pump's lower heat sources used so far are air, water or ground. Their efficiency is usually incoherent with the energy needs of recipients. In the period of the lowest temperatures of the source, we have the highest demand for heat in the supplied facility. A combination of the water heat pump and the heating network is aimed at increasing the energy efficiency (COP) of the heat source and indirectly increasing the participation of renewable energy in the energy balance of buildings. The essence of the new solution is the use of returning water in the heating network to supply the heat pump evaporator. The working medium temperature of the heating network on the return in the all-year cycle is stable and high, which allows further use of energy of the heating water on the return. These are the two main advantages of network water used as the lower heat source, allowing for stable and efficient operation of the heat pump with COP above 13. This solution is a response to the need to improve the energy efficiency of highly urbanized spaces.