Theoretical Analysis of R152a on Heat Pump Water Heating and its Environmental Effects

Gbenga Adewale Sunmonu, Zhongjie Huan

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tshwane University of Technology, Private Bag x680, Staatsartillerie Road, Pretoria West, 0001

Abstract
Working fluids substitute is one of the important technical areas to look at in order to improve the performance of the heat pump water heating systems. And if different types of the working fluids used for different purposes apart from heat pump water heating are critically assessed, there are chances that the working fluids use for refrigeration or that are thought to be suitable for it can also be used for heat pump water heating and will also give good results in its performance. Working fluids like the R134a, R22, and R152a are already in use, but the R152a is mostly use in the refrigeration process. In this paper, the theoretical analysis of the R152a will be carried out with the evaporating temperature of (-5 to 25) 0C and condensing temperature of (50 to 70) 0C. However, the working fluids contribution to the ozone layer depletion and global warming are also highlighted in this paper. Keywords: global warming, heat pump, water heating, HFC

1. Introduction
The prevailing products in the domestic market of water heater are gas water heater (GWH), electric water heater (EWH) and solar water heater (SWH), while heat pump water heater (HPWH), as the forth kind of water heater, appears in the market recently. Compared with the three formers, HPWH has several advantages such as energy saving, low running fare and safety in using, which all bring it a promising prospect in domestic water heating. Air source heat pump water heater (ASHPWH), based on the principle of Rankine cycle, could absorb heat from air at lower temperature, and through the work of heat engine, the absorbed heat and the consumed work is transferred into water tank the higher temperature heat source. From the environment the system gets energy, that is, possibly 34 times of the electric power it will consume. Totally, it contributes 45 times of the electric energy. So ASHPWH is preferred by users due to its virtues such as high eciency and energy saving. Since the 1950s, researches have been performed on HPWHs, including structure, thermodynamics, working uids, operation controlling, numerical simulation and economical analysis. Condenser design underwent two stages-bayonet style with annular ow and U style pipe. Mei et al. tested performance of 8 condensers in a water tank. When considering COP as the function of mean water temperature, they found that the performance of U style pipe system is commonly better than that

of bayonet condenser system. System COP and the rate of heat production increase with the loop number increases [1] The researches on improvement of the systems are expanded by considering alternative energy sources which is triggered due to diminish in recent energy sources. Air source heat pump water heaters are one of these systems that based on usage of energy in air. Heat pumps that have wide spread usage throughout the world and specifically Europe according to the laws supporting the substitution with present systems. Usage of Heat pump systems is increased at around 13 % in the last two decades which is rising as an important alternative of heating systems. Hiller led a group studying dual-tank water heating system from 1991. Elementary research shows that more than 60 kinds of dual-tanks have potential study values. Dierent pipe connections and control strategies can achieve goals such as optimizing control of hot water supply and power controlling. Uninterrupted tests suggest that the eciencies of 38 kinds of dual-tank water heating systems are higher than HPWH of other structures. Of course, the heat loss of dual-tank water heating system is more than single-tank system with the same volume [2]. Huang and Lin also studied the dual-tank HPWH. The water tank volume was 100 L. Results showed that heating water from 420C to 520C need 1020 min, and the all-year COP reached 2.03.0. Compared with electrical water, the energy saving fraction was 5070%, and the hot water discharge efficiency was 0.912 [3]. Hasegawa et al. proposed a two-stage compression

and cascade heating heat pump system for hot water supply. Using R12, it could heat water from 10 0C directly to 600C. The inlet and outlet water temperatures of evaporator are 120C and 70C, and the system COP is 3.73 [4].Ji et al. combined HPWH and conventional air conditioning, and realized a multifunctional domestic heat pump (MDHP). This equipment could implement multi functions in moderate climate areas, and operate long time with high eciency. When refrigeration and heating run simultaneously, the average of COP and EER could reach 3.5 [5,6]. R12, R22 were the most commonly used working uids in HPWH. As the proposal of ozonosphere protection, R22 became the only conventional uid still been used. In developing countries such as China, the dead line using R22 is 2040. Until now, it is still widely used. So there still have some meaning to do research on the R22 system performance improvement, which is also a means of saving energy. Sloane et al. using ribbed roil pipe in the middle of water tank, in ambient temperature of 240C, and water temperature 270C, COP is 2.4. Mei et al. also use R22 as refrigerant, the result is that when water temperature is 270C, an ambient temperature are 200C and 270C, the COP can be, respectively, 4.0 and 4.5 [7]. From the literature using conventional working uids, it could be seen that, when the environmental temperature is moderate and condensing temperature is not high, R22 could get ne thermodynamic performance and eciency. However, when the system runs in the high temperature area, for example, above 500C, the discharge temperature and pressure of compressor are both very high, especially in cold winter. The working condition of compressor is worse than ordinary air conditioning heat pump, which seriously aect system safety and reliability. So it is urgent to nd new uid of better performance. Much related research has been conducted to enable the ASHPWH to run eectively. Morrison et al. [8] demonstrated a method for annual load cycle rating

of ASHPWH. Kim et al. [9] proposed a dynamic model for a water heater driven by a heat pump system. Ding et al. [10] and Yao et al. [11] have done much research on defrosting to improve the ASHPWH system working in the winter. Fan et al. used a 7500 W HPWH to study its energy saving character. Considering the power consumed by fan and water pump, the system COP was 3.3. If only consider the compressor, the COP became 4.18 [12]. However, as far as ASHPWH is concerned, manufacturers have not agreed on the parameters and the matching of heat pumps and water tanks, mainly due to the dierent working conditions including areas, living habits and all year-round running. Heat pump water heater system is consisted of out-door heat pump, water tank and connecting pipes etc. Some manufacturers use air conditioning heat pump (out-door machine) directly, and complete the system just by adding a water tank. Obviously, the working conditions of a ASHPWH vary from those of air conditioner. Temperature at the hot side of a ASHPWH rises gradually, but its cooler side is changing according to the climate year round. Thus, it is necessary to standardize the products of ASHPWH. In order to enhance the system performance (COP), reduce the product cost and optimize the running condition, system components should be investigated rst. Besides compressor, condenser, evaporator and thermal valve or capillary, the refrigerant lling quantity, matching between water tank and heat pump unit are also important for the system. This paper deals with the system optimization of the air source heat pump water heater (ASHPWH), including calculating and testing. The capillary tube length, the lling quantity of refrigerant, the condenser coil tube length and system matching are discussed accordingly. From the testing results, it could be seen that the system performance COP could be improved obviously after system optimization. We hope that it could provide some valuable suggestions for future development of ASHPWH.

Air sourced heat pump water heating technologies

2. The air sourced heat pump water heating technologies can be divided into two categories; air to air and air to water. These two major areas would be briefly described in the following headings: 2.1. Air-to-air heat pump This is the type of heat pump technology that is designed for heating the air in a space or in the room during cold or winter season. And this technology takes the outside air as it energy source and is used to cool or heat the air in a space. However, this technology application has been able to work well due to the research made on it for the purpose of air heating. The air to air heat pump system diagram is shown in Fig. 1 [13]. The system basic technology components are also applicable in the air to water heat pump system. And Fig. 2. Shows how the system can be designed for home use in winter season [14].

the purpose of water heating. The air to water heat pump technology diagram is show in Fig. 3 [15]. And its application for use in various supply in typical home diagram is shown in Fig. 4 [16].

Fig. 3. Shows the typical design of the air to water heat pump water heating.[15]

Fig. 4. Describe the various ways of the heat pump water heating supply for various domestic uses.[16] 2.3. Description of R152a properties The refrigerant 1,1-Difluoroethane is an organofluorine compound with the chemical formula C2H4F2. This colorless gas is used as a refrigerant, where it is often listed as R-152a or HFC-152a. As a substitute to chlorofluorocarbons, it has zero ODP, a lower GWP (120) and a shorter atmospheric lifetime (1.4years). It has recently been approved for use as an alternative to R-134a. [17]. Table 1 shows the properties of the HFC-152a. [17] Table 1 R152a properties ODP (ozone depletion potential) GWP (global warming potential) Critical point Fig. 2. Shows how the system can be designed for use. [14] 2.2. Air to water heat pump This is the type of system that is designed to for the purpose of heating water for domestic use. This technology takes the air as it source like the previous heat pump technology, but this time the air is used for Flammable Explosive Toxic Density Viscosity or

Fig. 1. Shows the schematic diagram of a heat pump system technology that can be used in air to air HP and air to water HP. [13]

0 120 113.260 4.52 Mpa No No 2.7014 g/L @ 250C 0.00887 cP (8.87Pas) @ 25 C

Suggested modifications of the ASHPWH The suggested modifications criterions have been supported basically with the use of REFPROP, therefore, the basic formula for the calculations are represented as follows; WC == h2 h1 COPh = Qc/Wc. The above equation is valid for determining the compressor work input and coefficient of performance. Therefore, results gotten from the analysis of the performance of R152a using the standard cycle for the heat pump water heating system would be demonstrated in a table and a graph below. Table 2 (a), (b) and (c) describe the system performance under different temperature.

3. Theoretical analysis results of the ASHPWH

The analysis is tested with the help of a refrigerant properties application (REFPROP) at varying evaporating temperature of (-5 to 25) 0C and condensing temperature of about (50 to 70) 0C. However, the type of cycle use in this system is a standard cycle, Fig. 5. Shows a heat pump standard cycle of T-s diagram. [18]

T-s diagram of a standard cycle.[18] Table 2 (a) Working refrigerant R152a with condensing temperature at 50 oC results is shown. Te (oC) -5 0 5 10 15 20 25 h1 503.66 507.11 510.49 513.78 516.99 520.09 523.09 h2 560.17 557.26 554.59 552.08 549.71 547.52 545.41 h3 290.50 290.50 290.50 290.50 290.50 290.50 290.50 Wc (kW) 56.51 50.15 44.1 38.3 32.72 27.43 22.32 Qe (kW) 213.16 216.61 219.99 223.28 226.49 229.59 232.59 Qc (kW) 269.67 266.76 264.09 261.58 259.21 257.02 254.91 COP 4.8 5.3 6 6.8 8 9.4 11.4

Table 2 (b) Working refrigerant R152a with condensing temperature at 60 oC results is shown. Te (oC) -5 0 5 10 15 20 25 h1 503.66 507.11 510.49 513.78 516.99 520.09 523.09 h2 568.77 565.75 563 560.39 557.94 555.67 553.47 h3 310.38 310.38 310.38 310.38 310.38 310.38 310.38 Wc (kW) 65.11 58.64 52.51 46.61 40.95 35.58 30.38 Qe (kW) 193.28 196.73 200.11 203.4 206.61 209.71 212.71 Qc (kW) 258.39 255.37 252.62 250.01 247.56 245.29 243.09 COP 4 4.4 4.8 5.4 6.1 6.7 8

Table 2 (c) Working refrigerant R152a with condensing temperature at 70 oC results is shown. Te (oC) -5 0 5 10 15 20 25 h1 503.66 507.11 510.49 513.78 516.99 520.09 523.09 h2 576.90 573.78 570.93 568.23 565.69 563.34 561.07 h3 331.16 331.16 331.16 331.16 331.16 331.16 331.16 Wc (kW) 73.24 66.67 60.44 54.45 48.7 43.25 37.98 Qe (kW) 172.5 175.95 179.33 182.62 185.83 188.93 191.93 Qc (kW) 245.74 242.62 239.77 237.07 234.53 232.18 229.91 COP 3.4 3.6 4 4.4 4.8 5.4 6.1

The results of the table above are also represented graphically below in Fig. 6. (a), (b) as; The results of the refrigerants R152a working under different evaporative and condensing temperature are graphically represented below Te COPh (50 degree celsius) Te COPh (60 degree celsius) Te COPh (70 degree celsius) 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 -10 0 10 20 Evaporative Temperature 30 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 -10

Te Wc (50 degree celsius) Te Wc (60 degree celsius) Te Wc (70 degree celsius)

R152a Wc (kW)

R152a COPh

0 10 20 Evaporative Temperature

30

Fig. 6. (a) shows that in varying evaporative temperature and at 50oC, the heat pump COP is more compared to 60oC and 70oC respectively

Fig. 6. (a) shows that in varying evaporative temperature and at 50oC, the heat pump COP is more compared to 60oC and 70oC respectively

4. Conclusion With all the things discussed in this paper, there are some explanations that need to be taken into consideration, and the following points are: (i) For energy consumption to reduce there is a need to consider the type of working fluid to use. (ii) Researchers works have also stated the type of technologies to take into consideration in the HPWH performance improvement.

(iii) From the point of view of heat pump 0 efficiency, at water temperature of 15 C and 0 condensing temperature of 50 C, the COP is higher compared to the others. (iv) From the same evaporative temperature of 0 15 C point of view, the results also show that the work input to the compressor at the temperature rate is lower compared to the others. (v) The working fluid properties have also showed it doesnt deplete the ozone layer but contribute little to the global warming effects.

References
[1] Mei et al., System optimization and experimental result on air sourced heat pump water heater, Applied Thermal Engineering (2007) 1029-1035. [2] Carl C. Hiller, Dual-tank water-heating system options, ASHTAE Transactions 102 Part 1 (1996) 10281037. [3] B.J. Huang, F.H. Lin, Compact and fast temperature-response heat pump water heater, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (Paper) 97-AA-26 (1997) 4. [4] Hiroml Hasegawa et al., Development of twostage compression and cascade heating heat pump system for hot water supply, ASHRAE Transactions 102 (1) (1996) 248256. [5] J. Ji et al., Performance simulation and experiment of an air conditioner incorporated with a water heater in cooling and hot water supply, Heating Ventilating and Air Conditioning 33 (2) (2003) 19 23. [6] Jie Ji et al., Performance of multi-function domestic heat-pump system, Applied Thermal Energy 80 (2005) 307326. [7] Vince C. Mei et al., A study of a natural convection immersed condenser heat pump water heater, ASHRAE Transactions 109 Part 2 (2003) 38. [8] G.L. Morrison, T. Anderson, M. Behnia, Seasonal performance rating of heat pump water heaters, Solar Energy 76 (2004) 147152. [9] Minsung Kim, Min Soo Kim, Jae Dong Chung, Transient thermal behavior of a water heater system

driven by a heater pump, International Journal of Refrigeration 27 (2004) 415421. [10] Yanjun Ding, Qinhu Chai, Guoyuan Ma, Yi Jiang, Experimental study of an improved air source heat pump, Energy Conversion and Management 45 (2004) 23932403. [11] Yang Yao, Yiqiang Jiang, Shiming Deng, Zuiliang Ma, International Journal of Energy Research 47 (2004) 37453756. [12] Y.Y. Fan, Experimental study on a heat pump technology in solar thermal utilization, Acta Energiae Solaris Sinica 23 (5) (2002) 580585. [13] David A. Ritchie, P.E., Bruce I. Nelson, Air sourced heat pump water heating, Energy Library (2012), http://smud.apogee.net/comsuite/content/ces/?utilid=s mud&id=1123. [14] Moe, The complete guide to everything you need to know about heat pumps, Heat Pump-Reviews (2009), http://www.heatpumpreviews.com/index.html. [15] Richard, P. Colin, F., First roofing licensed building practitioners, CODEWORDS, June 2009, Issue 038. [16] Huade Wu, David Platt, Air sourced heat pump water heater, Greenspan Energy Solution (2010). [17] Ozone layer protection, Global Warming Potentials of ODS Substitutes, http://web.archive.org/web/20101016052146/http://w ww.epa.gov/ozone/geninfo/gwps.html. [18] Energy conversion and heat engine, Electropaedia (2005),

http://www.mpoweruk.com/heat_engines.htm