Due to energy efficiency, heat pumps are attracting increasing attention
How a Heat Pump Works
Every object above zero temperature has a reserve of thermal energy that can be extracted when that object is cooled. The greater the mass of the body and its thermal reserves, the more heat it can give off. When choosing the right heat pump, it is necessary to know what types of modern heat pumps exist.
Types of Heat Pumps
Heat pumps are divided according to the specifics of energy transfer, the source of thermal energy, and the type of coolant.
There are absorption and compression heat systems. Absorption systems operate on an absorbent-refrigerant, thus increasing efficiency. Compression systems work through a compressor, producing thermal energy via compression-expansion. The compression type is the most popular.
There are geothermal, air, and secondary heat pumps. Accordingly, geothermal pumps take energy from the Earth's interior and water molecules, air pumps from the atmosphere, and secondary pumps from sewage.
Depending on the coolant, heat pump equipment is also divided into several types.
• The "water-water" type, when the thermal energy of colder water is redirected to another water that needs to be heated. This type is used for water heating systems.
• "Air-air" heats the atmosphere in rooms through air heating systems. The thermal energy of cooled air after extraction is redirected to the room that needs to be heated.
• "Water-air" represents the distribution of heat from water reservoirs to the air heating system. And "air-water" works in the opposite direction compared to the previous type of heat pumps.
• "Ice-water" type heat pumps obtain energy by freezing water and extracting thermal energy from ice. This is a very effective method, as 200 liters of water with such a heating system heat an average-sized house within one hour.
• "Ground-water" type heat pumps operate on the principle of transferring the thermal energy of the earth to sewage pipes filled with water.
Heat pumps are gaining popularity due to their efficiency, ease of operation and installation, compactness, ability to switch between "winter-summer" modes, and low noise level. Their only drawback is the water temperature, which does not exceed 60 degrees Celsius.