Performance Analysis of Internal Heat Exchanger‐Based Quasi‐Two‐Stage Vapor Compression Heat Pump System for High‐Temperature Steam Production

Abstract

The thermodynamic performance of a high‐temperature heat pump steam (HTHPS) system is determined mainly by its different cycle configurations. The present study involves improving the thermodynamic performance of a quasi‐two‐stage vapor compression high‐temperature heat pump based on a front internal heat exchanger (IHX) cycle and a rear, and analyzing the influence of an IHX. The present study establishes thermodynamic models for front reheating structure (FRS) and rear reheating structure (RRS) models on the basis of conservation of mass and energy. The system is compared to the traditional quasi‐two‐stage compression cycle system in terms of thermodynamic parameters. The results demonstrated that the RRS system exhibits an increase of 4.87% in the coefficient of performance when the exhaust superheats is maintained under 5 K. With an increase in the condensation temperature, the required mass flow of the refrigerant in the traditional system is 9.94–12.36% higher compared to the RRS system, the power consumption of the compressor is increased by 3.9–5.6%, and the steam output per unit refrigerant is decreased by 1.04–5.07%. Furthermore, the Aspen Plus simulation verifies that the reason for the change in the exhaust superheats is the different pressure ratios in the theoretical calculation.