PREPARED BY NOOR AZILA BINTI JAMARI Building Services Lecturer

Describe

the basic operation of a heat pump and list its principal parts. Explain the operation of the heat pump reversing valve. Identify on a heat pump diagram, the charges in refrigerant flow when the reversing valve is switched from heating mode to cooling mode.

Heat pump is a heat transfer from high temperature to low temperature or vice versa. Normally these pumps are used to a country with four seasons of winter and summer. In winter, the heat pump takes in air from the probe and will be recycled and treated before being delivered into the space. While the summer, the heat pump will reverse the process that is taking heat from the room and delivered him out.

 In

the summer, a heat pump removes heat from inside your home and replaces it with cool air. Simply speaking, it works just like a conventional, high-efficiency air conditioner.

 In

the winter, the system works in reverse. It removes available heat from the air outside your home (yes, there is heat in cold outdoor air) and moves it indoors, providing an even, comfortable temperature level throughout your home. There are seldom any warm or cold spots such as those that exist when a gas furnace alone is used. When outdoor temperatures drop below 20 degrees or so, a back-up heating system automatically provides supplemental heat.

Principle that heat will remove from a higher temperature to a lower temperature. A heat transfer coil kept at a lower temperature than its surroundings will pick up heat. The evaporator and condenser functions can be switched using a system of valves. When the condenser become evaporator, heat can be removed from the living zone during hot weather and discharged outdoors. The evaporator and the condenser are both heat transfer devices. They can be used for cooling (picking up heat) or heating (releasing heat)

A heat pump basically works on the same principle as a refrigerator, which removes heat from the food that is being stored in it (i.e. cooling) while generating heat to be exhausted out the back of the device (i.e. heating). A heat pump works in the same way but in a reverse fashion and with greater power. The pump is removing heat from water, air or from the ground and redistributes this heat into the desired location through radiators or an underfloor heating system.

1. Air to air heat pumps most popular type. Its source of heating and cooling is the outdoor air. Its is similar to the conventional air conditioning system. 2. Geothermal (ground source) heat pump uses the underground temperature to produce the desired temperature.

The principle parts of the system are : Compressor Condenser Liquid line 2 expansion devices Evaporator Suction line Reversing valve 2 check valve.

 Notice

that a reversing valve and two expansion device are needed in the heat pump. This allows the unit to change from the summer cooling to winter heating. In cooling cycle, high pressure vapor is emitted from the compressor and travels to the condenser. It then passes to the evaporator, where it cools the indoor area. It finally returns to the compressor. In heating cycle, the four-way valve reverse the path. The compressed vapor is emitted to the indoor coil. This provides warm air to the heating system.

The heating system cycle starts outside the house, as liquid refrigerant is pumped into evaporator coils that are surrounded by fins to promote heat transfer. A fan in the exterior module pulls air through the coils, producing sufficient warming to turn the liquid refrigerant into vapor. When this phase change occurs, heat is absorbed (The same phase change effect makes us feel cool when sweat evaporates from our bodies.) The vapor now gets pumped through a compressor, which increases the temperature of the gas by putting in under pressure. (Did you ever notice how hot a bicycle pump gets when your pumping action puts air under pressure?) The hot refrigerant vapor moves indoors to heating coils located in the HVAC system's air handler. As the refrigerant gives up its heat to the interior air and is allowed to expand, it condenses back into a liquid and is pumped outside to repeat the cycle.

Capillary tube-type heat pump using indoor coil as condenser

 The

path of the refrigerant reverses to move indoor heat outside. Now the indoor coil acts as the evaporator (cooling coil), enabling the refrigerant to pick up interior heat as it vaporizes. After being pumped through the compressor and into the outdoor coil, the indoor heat is "dumped" outside and the refrigerant expands and cools before returning to the interior coil.

Indoor coil serving as evaporator

 It

may be operated automatically, manually, or electrically. Normally uses heat pump four-way reversing valve to reverse the flow of refrigerant. The valve is operated by the movement of one valve stem. This stem closes and opens several ports in one valve body. Its operation may be manual or electrical. They are popular in small tonnage conditioners, such as window units and other air-to-air systems.