Thermally Driven Heat Pump Based on an Integrated Thermodynamic Cycle for Low Carbon Domestic Heating (Therma-Pump)

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Title
Thermally Driven Heat Pump Based on an Integrated Thermodynamic Cycle for Low Carbon Domestic Heating (Therma-Pump)

CoPED ID
c1c63f52-8b81-463e-b3e4-142a1583f547

Status
Closed

Funders

Value
£1,426,066

Start Date
Sept. 30, 2016

End Date
Dec. 31, 2019

Description

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The UK has set an ambitious target to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80% by 2050, relative to 1990 levels. Currently, heat accounts for nearly half of the energy consumption in the UK and a third of the nation's carbon emissions. To achieve the UK's carbon reduction target, the residential heating sector has to be substantially decarbonised. A wide range of technologies are at different stage of developments but their energy efficiencies are not all satisfactory. There is clearly a big gap between the demand and supply of cost-effective heating technologies in the UK. There is a urgent need for innovation of low-carbon heating technologies in the UK.

This project develops a novel, gas-powered heat pump that integrates a small-scale Rankine Cycle power generator using organic working fluids (i.e. refrigerants) with a vapour-compression heat pump by means of a novel coupling technology. Both the heat rejected by the Rankine Cycle power generator and the heat provided by the heat pump are fully utilised for heating. The novel design allows the condensing temperature of the heat pump to be much lower than that of a single electrically-powered heat pump leading to much higher energy performance. The compact heat exchangers are used to enable the heat pump much small in size. The novel design of the combustion heat exchanger enables efficient and clean combustion processes.

The novel heating technology developed through this project is much more efficient than traditional heating technologies, and therefore can significantly reduce the carbon emissions from the residential heating sector in the UK, if widely installed.


More Information

Potential Impact:
There will be a wide arrange of potential direct and indirect beneficiaries of the developed technology.

The energy equipment manufacturers will directly benefit from the developed technology. Intellectual property generated from this project will be patented nationally and internationally. Hundreds to, ultimately, thousands of new jobs will be generated for its manufacturing, installation, and maintenance, which will contribute to the UK's economic growth. The commercialisation of the technology will enhance the competence of the UK manufacturing sector in the globe market.

The households in the UK are the intended end users of the developed technology. Compared with condensing and non-condensing boilers, it could reduce energy consumption by at least 30%. Such a saving on energy bills will help to combat fuel poverty, freeing up money for spending on other products and services, and thus improves the quality of life in the UK.

As the Therma-Pump can be easily scaled up for district heating applications, commercial buildings are another category of end users of this new technology. Wide installation of the Therma-Pump will reduce the energy bill of commercial buildings such as shopping malls, office blocks.

Some energy-intensive processing industries such as oil refineries and the food industry are also potential beneficiaries. The Therma-Pump can be powered by industrial waste heat, using it to upgrade another part of the waste heat to higher temperature heat for reuse on site. Hence, the overall energy efficiency of these industries will be improved. As the energy demand will be reduced, the fossil fuel imports of the UK could also be reduced. This will certainly contribute to the energy security of the UK in the future.

The UK's policy makers on energy and environment will have a new technology option to tackle the climate change problem once the technology is commercialised.

The general public can benefit from this low carbon technology in the long term. Currently, gas boilers are the primary technology for providing heating in residential sector in the UK. The developed technology, once widely installed, can substantially decarbonise the residential heating sector and thus make a significant contribution to the UK's effort on carbon reduction.

Zhibin Yu PI_PER
Paul Younger COI_PER
Manosh Paul COI_PER
John Rose COI_PER
Nader Karimi COI_PER
Hua Sheng Wang COI_PER

Subjects by relevance
  1. Emissions
  2. Climate changes
  3. Heat pumps
  4. Climate policy
  5. Technological development
  6. Energy policy
  7. Decrease (active)
  8. Heating (spaces)
  9. Heating systems
  10. Energy efficiency
  11. Greenhouse gases
  12. Heat energy
  13. Environmental effects
  14. Technology
  15. Energy consumption (energy technology)
  16. Carbon
  17. Energy production (process industry)

Extracted key phrases
  1. Integrated Thermodynamic Cycle
  2. Heat Pump
  3. Carbon heating technology
  4. Scale Rankine Cycle power generator
  5. Novel heating technology
  6. Effective heating technology
  7. Traditional heating technology
  8. Low Carbon Domestic Heating
  9. Low carbon technology
  10. UK manufacturing sector
  11. Compression heat pump
  12. High temperature heat
  13. Combustion heat exchanger
  14. Residential heating sector
  15. New technology option

Related Pages

UKRI project entry

UK Project Locations
3
4
200 km
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