The Use of a Heat Pump in a Ventilation Unit as an Economical and Ecological Source of Heat for the Ventilation System of an Indoor Swimming Pool Facility

Abstract

Air handling units are usually used to maintain the thermal and humidity parameters in indoor swimming pools that are used for lap swimming and recreation. Their use throughout the year consumes much more energy than, for example, air conditioning in residential or office buildings. Their considerable energy consumption is due to the need for their continuous operation to remove moisture gains from the evaporation of water and to heat the air and cover the heat losses of the pool. It is possible to design ventilation devices in such a way that the operating costs will be reduced, and the environmental impact will be significantly reduced. In this article, six different ventilation units in which different heat sources are used to heat the ventilation air have been evaluated; the selection of which was based on the most commonly used solutions. The results of the analysis are aimed to show which of the available heat sources is the most advantageous in terms of global and operating costs, and in terms of low CO2 emissions. Indicators of both the final and primary energy consumption, as well as the operating and global costs, were determined. The recommended solution that was chosen was the one that had both the lowest cost index (18–20% lower than most ecological sources) and the low primary energy index (8–13% higher than most ecological sources). The results showed that a heat pump in the ventilation unit proved to be the most beneficial solution. Unfortunately, this solution is rarely used due to its high investment costs (20% higher). However, the results have shown that the investment cost of using an advanced air handling unit will be recouped in only two to three years. Also, the global cost for units with a heat pump proved to be the lowest, despite high investment cost.