Modelling and validation of a gas engine heat pump working with R410A for cooling applications

Gas engine heat pumps play an important role in energy saving and environment protection in both cooling and heating applications. In the present work, a thermal modelling of the gas engine driven heat pump in cooling mode is performed and system main parameters such as cooling capacity, gas engine energy consumption and primary energy ratio (PER) are computed. The modelling of the gas engine heat pump includes modelling of the scroll compressor, the plate evaporator and the gas engine. Discharged refrigerant mass flow rate and compressor power represent the main output parameters of the compressor semi-empirical model. Using the discharged refrigerant mass flow rates along with the available evaporation heat transfer correlations, the system cooling capacity is deduced. Based on the present experimental data, a correlation of gas engine energy consumption as function of compressor power, engine speed and ambient air temperature is obtained. Furthermore, the gas engine heat pump model is validated by comparing experimental and simulation data. The model error percentages to predict the cooling capacity, the gas engine energy consumption and the PER are 7%, 5%, 6% respectively. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.