Energy and economic analysis of a sub-cooler based vapor injection transcritical CO2 heat pump for space heating

Abstract

The Chinese government has considered the transcritical CO2 heat pump (TCHP) as a promising solution for space heating with the goal of “carbon peaking” and “carbon neutrality.” Considering the convenient implementation and the performance improvement, the vapor injection technique should be taken into consideration. This paper presents the experimental and simulation investigation of the SCVI TCHP prototype with energetic and economic analysis. Under the design condition, the SCVI technique could improve the peak COP by 5.02 % with a 10.11 % improvement in heating capacity. Compared to the direct electric heater solution, the annual operation cost was reduced by 11966CNY, 29.03 % higher than the Base TCHP. The payback period was decreased from 8 to 6.9 years due to the application of vapor injection. The effect of ambient temperature on the system performances was evaluated based on the experimental data. As the simulation progressed, a control strategy optimizing both the discharge and the medium pressure was developed, and the influence of inlet and outlet water temperature was studied.