Analysis of an Integrated Thermal Energy System for Applications in Cold Regions

Abstract

Abstract This paper performed analyses on a proposed direct wind-powered heat pump integrated with a pond which serves as an evaporator for space heating in cold regions. The analysis was conducted using environmental data for selected locations in Canada and the engineering equation solver (EES). Three different pairings of heat pumps and wind turbines were studied (a wind-powered heat pump with a pond as an evaporator, wind-powered heat pump without a pond, and an electricity-powered heat pump (EPHP)). Energy and exergy analyses were performed on the systems. The novelty in the present study is in the use of a wind turbine to directly power the heat pump and using a pond as the evaporator. The results show that the proposed system has the highest coefficient of performance (COP) compared with the others. The average coefficient of performance for the selected locations is 2.7, which is at least 67% better than the others. Similarly, the overall exergy for the proposed system is 16.9%, which is at least 40% better than the others. The average heating capacity of the selected locations for the proposed system is 4.5 kW, which is from 29% to 300% better than the others. Additionally, the sustainability index (SI) for the proposed system is the highest for the proposed system. The results have shown that the proposed system has superior overall performance for space heating in cold regions.