Theoretical and experimental analysis of the superheating in heat pump compressors

Abstract

This paper presents an analysis of the effects of refrigerant superheating in a compressor operating in a heat pump system. In a conventional cooling system, refrigerant superheating inside the compressor is largely responsible for overall energy losses, increasing the compression specific work. Similarly, superheating increases the compression loss in a compressor operating in a heat pump system. However, superheating regards to the heating capacity of the system as well, since it affects the final temperature of compression and the inlet temperature of the condenser, therefore. Thus, the superheating analysis in compressors applied to heat pump purposes requires a more detailed treatment if compared to refrigeration applications, otherwise results may lead to mistaken interpretations. In this work, a new approach to identify and understand the superheating losses in compressors submitted to heat pump applications is proposed. Experimental results are presented in a compressor losses inventory and considerations are made on this way.