What is a heat pump?
A heat pump utilizes solar energy that remains in ground, air and water.
The working principle is the same as in a current refrigerator, freezer or A/C unit. A heat pump is based on a closed circuit filled with special coolant that evaporates under low temperature and absorbs energy. Coolant vapors are compressed in a compressor, getting heated up. Under higher temperature, the gaseous coolant gives off its heat into heating water which brings it back to liquid form, and the entire cycle repeats.
Like a fridge can draw heat from food as cold as -20°C, a heat pump can work and draw heat from air, water or ground even under extremely low temperatures. A COP (Coefficient of Performance) shows its efficiency, namely how many times more energy it supplies than consumes. With falling temperature of the heat source also the COP sinks.
Types of heat pumps
- air to water: in an air-to-water heat pump, air passes through the heat pump, directly heating the coolant in the heat exchanger (evaporator).
- ground to water: a ground-to-water heat pump uses a biologically degradable antifreeze fluid to transfer heat from the ground into the heat pump. When the fluid enters the heat pump from the ground, it is about 4°C warm. It gives off its energy to the coolant circulating in the closed circuit inside the heat pump.
How does a heat pump work?
The heat from air or from the ground collector causes evaporation of the coolant that has a low boiling point. Coolant vapour get compressed by the compressor which makes it heat up. The hot vapour then passes through a heat exchanger (condenser), condensing and giving off its heat to heating water. Then it cools down swiftly when passing through the expansion valve and the cycle starts again.
A heat pump in combination with solar collectors
Solar collectors gain heat directly from the sunshine as the Sun heats the fluid inside a solar collector. A solar system needs almost no energy for its operation. A combination of a heat pump and a solar system makes it possible to utilize solar energy directly through solar collectors for DHW heating and space heating support. In cool days solar energy is utilized indirectly through a heat pump.
With ground coupled heat pumps the heat gained from a solar system can be stored into the bore during the summer time. Then in the winter the heat pump can utilize the higher temperature from the ground, working with a higher COP. For summer cooling the cool from the bore can be used directly (without a heat pump), or for a higher cooling output, the heat pump can be used.
Regulus heat pumps
Regulus offers excellent CTC heat pumps that are manufactured by a renowned Swedish company with 80 years of tradition. CTC applies the latest technologies in its development of new models in order to reach top parameters, however the mass production enables favourable pricing.
Regulus is active in the heating branch since 1992, concentrating on renewable energy sources since 1999. Our team of engineers is ready to suggest you an optimum cost saving solution for your heating. It is not our goal to sell you a heat pump without any considerations, our aim is to calculate and design the best technical solution for you that will be suitable for your home and your needs and will bring you the highest savings, maintaining the heating comfort.
We are a member of AVTC, more at http://www.avtc.cz/