Performance analysis of heat pump polygeneration system

Abstract

A heat pump polygeneration system is a promising technology to meet daily needs such as drinking water, power, space cooling or heating, and hot water generation. This work is focused on integrating the solar heat pump and two-stage humidification–de-humidification with a minimum space requirement. In this integrated cycle, the desired outputs i.e. condenser heat and evaporator heat are used for maximizing hot water and desalinated water production with minimal thermal pollution. For warm or hot air generation, an air reheater device is used after the heat pump. By using the switching operation, the air reheater is used accordingly as per climatic conditions. So in this integrated cycle, a coconut coir-packed humidifier is used for the humidification process, and a water-cooled heat exchanger and heat pump evaporator are used for the dehumidification process to meet the desired outputs from the system. The MATLAB simulation tool is used to simulate the thermodynamic model of the integrated cycle, and it is focused on studying the effect of mass flow rate, atmospheric temperature, relative humidity, evaporator temperature, and hot/cold water temperature, on outputs, as well as the energy conversion factor of the plant and cycle. At 25°C ambient air temperature, the energy conversion factor of the plant and cycle are 0.866 and 2.2, respectively. Similarly, at 75% humid air and 35°C surrounding air temperature, the gained output ratio and coefficient of performance are 4.03 and 1.964, respectively. And also, the plant and cycle energy conversion factors are 0.903 and 2.4.