Journal Pre-proof

Comparative performance analysis of a solar assisted heat pump for

greenhouse heating in Tunisia

Sameh Agrebi , Ridha Chargui , Bourhan Tashtoush ,

Amenallah Guizani

PII: S0140-7007(21)00225-5
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2021.06.004
Reference: JIJR 5176

To appear in: International Journal of Refrigeration

Received date: 26 November 2020

Revised date: 8 May 2021
Accepted date: 3 June 2021

Please cite this article as: Sameh Agrebi , Ridha Chargui , Bourhan Tashtoush ,
Amenallah Guizani , Comparative performance analysis of a solar assisted heat pump
for greenhouse heating in Tunisia, International Journal of Refrigeration (2021), doi:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2021.06.004

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© 2021 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Comparative performance analysis of a solar assisted heat pump for
greenhouse heating in Tunisia
Sameh Agrebi*, a, Ridha Charguia, Bourhan Tashtoushb, Amenallah Guizania,
a
Research and Technology Center of Energy, Thermal Processes Laboratory, Hammam Lif, B.P. 95, 2050, Tunis, Tunisia
b
Mechanical Engineering Department, P.O. Box 3030, JUST, Irbid 22110, Jordan

Highlights

 The performance of the GCHP and SAHP systems under cold climates is studied.

 The use of a solar thermal collector in the system heat pump is evaluated.

 The two systems were compared in terms of thermal performance.

 The combined heat pump with a solar system is adequate for heating greenhouse.

Conflict of Interest and Authorship Conformation Form

o All authors have participated in approval of the final version.

o This manuscript has not been submitted to, nor is under review at, another journal
or other publishing venue.

o The authors have no affiliation with any organization with a direct or indirect
financial interest in the subject matter discussed in the manuscript

ABSTRACT

This work presents a comparative investigation of a heating system of a solar-assisted and a

conventional heat pump using numerical and experimental studies. The heating system

includes a tempered glass greenhouse connected with a water-to-water heat pump of a power

of 10 kW, a solar collector, and a capillary tube mat as a heat distribution system.

Furthermore, a comparative analysis of the system performance operating at the same

1
condition with and without the solar energy was conducted. The system was optimized using

the software TRNSYS to obtain the appropriate boundary conditions for the real system, and

its best efficiency. The impact of climatic conditions on system performance is discussed. The

Tunisian weather data were used to simulate heating systems by considering a 100 m2 glass

greenhouse and 2 m2 as the collector area. The numerical simulations were validated by the

experimental results. It was concluded that the proposed heating system could be adequate

for greenhouse heating in winter. An area of a 2 m2 collector was found to match the heating

load of a 10-kW power heat pump. The heat supplied by the solar collector at noon is between

1.5 and 4 kW in Tunisia and the heat pump with a power of 10 kW can supply the required

amount of heating. The solar collector highly affects the performance of the water-water heat

pump.

Keywords: Heat pump; Flat Plate Collector; Glass greenhouse; TRNSYS; Simulation

* Corresponding author. Tel (Ridha CHARGUI): ‫‏‬+216 96 727 448;

E-mail address: charguiridhacrten@gmail.com (CHARGUI. Ridha); sameh.agrebi@fst.utm.tn (AGREBI Sameh)

2
Nomenclature
AC collector surface area (m2)
Capheat heat pump heating capacity at current conditions (kJ.h-1)
Cp specific heat capacity (J.kg-1.K-1)
cos j the power factor (-)
FR Collector heat removal factor
Icomp the electric current of the compressor (A)
IT Incident solar radiation (W.m-2)
𝑚̇ mass flow rate (kg.h-1)
Ṗheat Power absorbed by the heat pump (kJ.h-1)
Q capillary tube heat rate (kW)
𝑄̇ heat rate (kW)
Q̇u useful heat transfer rate (kW)
T temperature (°C)
U the overall heat transfer coefficient (W.m-2.K-1)
UL overall loss coefficient of the collector (W.m-2.K-1)
S surface area of heat transfer (m2)
Greek letters
τ Transmittance (-)
α Absorptance (-)
Subscripts
a ambient
cond condenser
comp compressor
evap evaporator
F Fluid
G Ground
hp Heat pump
i Inlet
l load
o outlet
s source
u useful
w water
sys system

Acronyms

COP Coefficient of Performance

GCHP Ground Coupled Heat Pump
GSHP Ground Source Heat Pump
SAHP Solar assisted heat pump
TRNSYS Transient System Simulation Program
WTWHP water-to-water heat pump

3
 1. Introduction

The demand for primary energy continues to increase compared to primary energy resources

that are still decreasing.‫ ‏‬Besides economic problems, the use of traditional fossil fuels

increases environmental pollution, which confirms that the transition to clean and sustainable

renewable energy resources is essential. At the same time, agricultural production in

greenhouses has very considerable economic potential and can improve the agricultural

sector. It has increased significantly in recent decades due to its essential roles in crop

protection from various weather conditions, improving productivity and crop quality to meet

consumer and business needs [1, 2]. To provide suitable climatic conditions and a favorable

environment in greenhouses during the heating season, it is often necessary to use a heating

system that is useful for optimally controlling and maintaining the temperature. Among the

different forms of renewable energies for heating applications, the ground source heat pump

(GSHP) was recognized as an advantageous renewable energy system for a variety of

purposes especially the heating applications thanks to its economic life cycle, its profitability,

and its low maintenance cost [3].

Renewable and waste energy utilization in heating and cooling processes has been the focus

of many researchers over the past decades [4-6]. The GSHP systems were studied to analyze

the systems’ performance for heating and cooling applications [7-9]. In other research works,

the environmental and economic feasibility of GSHP was investigated theoretically and

experimentally. Experimental results of the vertical GSHP system for providing space heating

for the cold climatic condition were also presented [10-12]. An experimental analysis was

carried out by Ozyurt and Dundar [13], on a vertical GSHP system to evaluate thermal

performance and energy analysis for a cold climate in Turkey. Simulation and modeling with

the Transient System Simulation Program (TRNSYS) were carried out to study the

4
thermodynamic phenomena of a GSHP in heating mode [14]. Esen et al. [15] designed and

integrated a hybrid system geothermal heat pump, solar collector, and biogas in a greenhouse

(6 m× 4m × 2.10 m) to be heated, they also evaluated the performance of the system.

Inalli and Esen [16] aimed in their study to determine the effect of the depth of the GSHP

exchanger, the sewage water, and the antifreeze solution mass flow rate on the performance of

the heat pump system. Experimental works were conducted on the performance of the GSHP

systems and their applications in a greenhouse during winter. Benli [17] experimentally

compared the performance of a horizontal GSHP system with a vertical one in heating mode.

A high Coefficient of Performance (COP) [18] was obtained using the experimental data and

the instrumentations of the coupling of ground source heat pump system were presented [19,

20]. Kofi et al. [21] analyzed studies on the consumption of energy in a test facility water-to-

water heat pump (WTWHP). The results showed that in heating and cooling modes, the total

consumption of energy in the installation increased as the capacity of the heat pump capacity

and the system’s COP increased.

Baeten et al. [22] proposed a predictive control strategy model to study systems with energy

storage that were used to produce hot water and space heating while taking into consideration

the environmental impact of energy consumption, the energy, and the extension of electricity

generation capacity.

The heat pump performance is greatly influenced by operating conditions and the boundary of

the system, such as low heat source’s temperature at the evaporator and high initial cost [23,

24]. Research works have been conducted to utilize solar energy in cooling and heating

applications [25-27]. The solar-assisted heat pumps (SAHP) have attracted increasing interest

in recent years. The advantage of employing this technology is to raise the COP resulting in

better efficiency due to lower heat loss and increased time operation [28, 29]. The SAHP was

investigated extensively, to expand the field of application (in hot and cold climates) and

5
improving the system performance. The performance of a SAHP in six different modes was

analyzed numerically and compared through dynamic system simulations in TRNSYS [30,

31]. The findings indicated an increase in the COP to the value of 3.65 with a 30% reduction

in energy consumption, compared to 2.55 for a conventional heat pump. To study the

parameters that would decrease the energy demand of the system, and minimizing the

installation cost, different configurations of SAHP combined with storage thermal

technologies in heating and cooling mode were proposed [32].

Energy and exergy studies were conducted on SAHP systems [33], as well as studies on

system design, modeling, and financial sustainability [34]. In addition, a comparative analysis

of SAHP heating systems was conducted [35], and optimization methodology was presented

[36]. To estimate the annual performance of such systems, the simulation study using

TRNSYS software [37-40] was realized. Numerically and comparison studies of the

combination of a ground coupled heat pump (GCHP) and solar collectors in domestic heating

systems were highlighted in [38]. A combined solar collector with geothermal heat pump

systems was studied in [39] and a feasibility assessment of combined solar thermal and

ground source heat pump was worked in [40]. The coupling of a reversible GCHP with

thermal solar collectors was experimentally performed [41]. The combination of solar energy

and geothermal heat pumps to provide building heating was studied numerically and

experimentally. The results showed several advantages of the coupling of geothermal heat

pumps and solar collectors in terms of the reduction in the power consumed and system

efficiency [42-44]. The effect of including a solar collector into a geothermal heat pump

system on the system performance was numerically investigated using TRNSYS software.

The results showed that solar thermal collectors could improve the operation of systems of

heat pumps installed in cold areas [45, 46]. A SAHP system with four operation modes for

heating was experimentally studied [47]. The authors found that such systems had satisfactory

6
solar fraction and better system efficiency in comparison to the traditional heating system in

cold areas. Esmaeel et al [48] developed a mathematical model to investigate the performance

of the SAHP in a cold season. The authors found that a 2.5 m2 collector was needed for the

reduction of the pump’s electrical consumption by 10%.

Urchueguía et al. [49] compared the energy efficiency of air to water with water-to-water heat

pump systems. The results showed that, for the heating and cooling applications in Southern

Europe Regions, the GSHP is a practical and energy-efficient alternative to conventional

systems. Cardemil et al. [50] analyzed with TRNSYS the performance of a new configuration

of a coupled water heat pump with a domiciliary pool in heating mode, in Mediterranean

climates.

A comparative study has been carried out by Esen et al. [51] to study the performance of

SAHP with a ground heat exchanger in a spiral loop for horizontal and vertical states.

The present work aims at mitigating the problems inherent in conventional heat pumps with a

single source and developing an energy-efficient heat pump system. The utilization of

alternative sources of renewable energy is the most appropriate way to achieve these

objectives. The objective of this study is to carry out an energy-based comparison of a SAHP

powered by a flat plate solar collector with a conventional source heat pump system to heat an

agricultural glass greenhouse. The heat distribution system used in this work is a

polypropylene capillary tube mat. The effect of climatic conditions on system performance is

analyzed. In addition, a mathematical modeling and system simulation are introduced, and the

results such as the WTWHP, coefficient of performance, the water temperature at evaporator

inlet and condenser outlet, as well as the thermal power delivered to the heating space and the

electric consumption power by the condenser, are presented. The effect of introducing the

solar-assisted heat pump is evaluated. The system performance of a water-to-water SAHP in a

cold climate to provide heating for a 100 m2 glass greenhouse is numerically and

7
experimentally investigated. The experimental input data will be used in TRNSYS software to

model the system and thereafter simulate it. The impact of the integration of solar energy with

a WTWHP will be studied, and different parametric inputs required for the TRNSYS model

will be used in Tunisia weather climate conditions. The present model will be validated by

published experimental data in the literature. Energy analysis of the system’s performance

will be conducted, and a comparison with the conventional heating system will be carried out.

2. Methods and materials

In this section, the numerical and experimental setup and methods of the system are

described. The main characteristic of the heat pump model and other principal components

used in the system are introduced. The details of the system process and control parameters

are presented. Finally, performance parameters and numerical techniques, including the

numerical simulation procedure, are outlined.

2.1. Experimental setup

This experiment was conducted in the Research and Technology Center of Energy, Borj

Cedria, Tunisia (longitude 10.23° E and latitude 36.41° N). A glass greenhouse was installed

in the surface area of the Thermal Process Laboratory. The greenhouse cover was made

entirely of glass, which has the advantage of greater interior light intensity. Glass greenhouses

have a high rate of air infiltration, which allows for lower indoor humidity. Ventilation was

regulated by manually opened fans according to the temperature and relative humidity inside

the greenhouse.

The limiting temperature for better plants’ growth varies between (12-30) °C. For example,

the optimal temperature range for tomato growth varies between 18-27 °C, for cucumber,

between 23-24 °C, and pepper between 25- 30 °C. Table 1 presents different characteristics of

the glass greenhouse.

8
 Table 1: The glass greenhouse characteristic

Wall material glass -

thickness 3 [m]
Geometric shape Greenhouse with an inclined roof -
length 12.5 [m]
width 8 [m]
Area 100 [m2]
volume 229.5 [m3]
Comfort temperature [22-34] [°C]

A WTWHP system coupled with a capillary tube mat, arranged horizontally under the

greenhouse to create an appropriate environment for the growth of plants during the cold

season, is presented. The heating of the environmental air inside the greenhouse is achieved

by the process of heat transfer from the heating pipes of the tube mat to the air. The hot water

is circulated in the capillary tube mat throughout the greenhouse to ensure the required air

temperature.

The idea of a coupling heat pump with solar energy is proposed and developed to reduce

energy costs further and enhance the system COP. The combination of the heat pump with

solar collectors has many benefits, depending on control strategy and system design, which

can improve overall system efficiency. The solar collectors increase the water temperature on

the evaporator, which increases the heat pump performance.

Fig. 1 illustrates the combination of a solar collector of an area of 2 m2 with a water-to-water

heat pump system.

9
 Fig. 1: The schematic diagram of the proposed model
The hot water circulating pumps were mounted in the experiment as follows; a circulation

pump was between the flat solar collector and the tank to circulate the water from the tank to

the collector, a second pump was located between the heat pump and the water tank to

circulate the water from the tank to the heat pump, and a third pump was located between the

heat pump and the greenhouse to circulate hot water via Polypropylene capillary pipes, which

are buried inside the greenhouse. The air temperature inside the greenhouse is controlled by a

control function linked to the data logger which also allows checking the operating mode of

the circulation pump which operates continuously when the internal air temperature is below

15 ºC.

2.2 Uncertainty Analysis

Type K (Cromel–Alumel) thermocouples with an approximate sensitivity of 40 µV°C-1 are

used. In the K Type thermocouple, when the temperature of the material approaches 185 °C, a

change in the output occurs. The accuracy of these thermocouples is ± 1.5 K between -20 and

80 °C at temperatures up to 1260°C. RK 200-03 type pyranometer is used with a range of 0-2

kW.m-2 and 7-14 µV.W-1.m2 sensitivity [52].

10
Regression analysis is used to represent the temperature and solar radiation variations of the

system. The regression analysis is known as one of the statistical methods that are

implemented to find a relationship between a dependent variable with one or more other

independent variables. In the present analysis, the dependent variable is the temperature,

while the time is the independent variable. Since the behavior of the temperature and solar

radiation is not linear, the quadratic regression polynomial is used. The regression analysis

aims at finding the strength of the relationship between water temperature and time. In

general, the model of the regression is:

𝑦 = 𝑎 𝑥2 + 𝑏 𝑥 + 𝑐 + 𝜖 (1)

where: y—represents the dependent variable, and x—represents the independent variable, a,

b, and c are the polynomial coefficients, where a is not zero and ϵ is the error.

Another important indicator in the linear regression analysis is the correlation

coefficient, R2, which assesses the degree of association of data. Its value ranges from + 1

through 0 to − 1. In the case of complete correlation, the R2 value is either +1 or -1. The

positive value indicates an increase in both dependent and independent variables, while the

negative value indicates an increase in one variable with a decrease in the other.

2.3. Numerical setup

2.3.1. The glass greenhouse model

The greenhouse is modeled in TRNSYS by type56. It can simulate the operation of the

complex system that constitutes the greenhouse with its various compartments (soil, cover,

culture, indoor and outdoor environments).

2.3.2. The Heat Pump Model

A reversible WTWHP is used, and it is modeled in TRNSYS by type 668, which is based on

the data entered by the user, including input charge temperature and source temperatures [53].

11
The heating process starts when the air temperature is below 15oC and stops when the

temperature exceeds 34°C. A thermostat controller is installed to control the heat pump

operation, and when activated it will sense the air temperature via the temperature feedback

and switches on the heating pump. The air temperature starts to rise gradually, and it takes

time before it reaches the maximum setpoint temperature. Once the temperature is higher than

34°C, the controller switches off the heating pump.

The thermostat controller is simulated in TRNSYS by type 108, which contains hysteresis

effects. The data file used in the simulation of the heat pump indicates that the pump heating

capacity is 10 kW, the refrigerant is R134a, output water flow is 70 m3s-1, and the evaporator

temperature of the water is 12oC.

2.3.3. The Capillary Tube Mat

The heat pump delivers thermal energy from the liquid source to the agricultural greenhouse

through a heat exchanger in the form of a capillary tube mat arranged horizontally and

coupled on the ground. The capillary tubes of the heat exchanger are skinny tubes through

which the hot water circulates to heat the ground of the greenhouse. Polypropylene is used as

the material of the heat exchanger for netter rates of heat transfer. The Capillary tubes are

used as heat exchangers for heating the greenhouse to 0.8 m below the ground surface, as

shown in Fig .2, with its parameters, as indicated in Table 2.

Table 2: The capillary tube mat’s parameters

Type Polypropylene -
Capillary mat length 10,000 [mm]
Capillary mat width 7000 [mm]
Capillary tube external diameter 3.4 [mm]
Capillary tube thickness 0.55 [mm]
Collecting tube external diameter 20 [mm]
The thickness of the collecting tube 2 [mm]
Spacing between capillary tubes 20 [mm]
Thermal conductivity 0.22 [W.m-1.K-1]

12
 Fig. 2: Capillary tube mat

A system called 'active layer' that contains pipes filled with water to heat the cold surface was

added to simulate the buried heat exchanger in the ground of the greenhouse. The active layer

has a 20 mm spacing between the pipes, with an external diameter, thermal conductivity, and

wall tube thickness of 3.4 mm, 0.22 W. (m.K)-1, and 0.55 mm, respectively.

2.3.4. The Flat Plate solar collector

The thermal performance of the solar collector is modeled in TRNSYS by type 1b. The

collector area is 2 m2 with a mass flow rate of 50 kg.h-1 and an angle of inclination of 37o with

a southeast orientation.

2.4. The Primary Information of the Numerical TRNSYS Model

Both systems were simulated with TRNSYS 16 software (TRaNsient SYstem Simulation),

which is based on FORTRAN [53, 54].

Energy analysis of thermal systems using the TRNSYS tool requires entering consistent

information about the characteristics of the greenhouse, the heating system and its equipment,

and the weather conditions of the region.

13
The system process in TRNSYS is realized by assembling the main components of the heat

pump heating system alone, then combining the previous system with a flat solar collector.

Several necessary components are included in the model to facilitate data collection. A

TRNSYS graphical interface containing the simulation diagram is presented in Fig. 3.

Fig. 3: TRNSYS graphical interface containing the simulation diagram.

2.5. The System Mathematical Models

The energy and mass balance equations are applied to the system’s components to develop the

mathematical model of the system.

The assumptions considered for this analysis are as follows:

• The heat pump operates in permanent mode.

• The variations in kinetic and potential energies between the different components are

negligible.

• No heat losses in the piping between the components.

• Air is an ideal gas with constant specific heat.

14
  The Heat Pump

- The system’s mass balance of the heat pump is:

∑ 𝐦̇𝐢 = ∑ 𝐦̇𝐨 (2)

- The cooling capacity of the evaporator is calculated as:

𝐐̇𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐩 = 𝐦̇𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐩,𝐢 𝐂𝐩,w (𝐓𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐩,𝐨 − 𝐓𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐩,𝐢 ) (3)

Where:

𝑚̇𝑒𝑣𝑎𝑝,𝑖 is the water mass flowrate, (kg. s-1)

𝐶𝑝,𝑤 = The water-specific heat capacity, (J.kg-1.K-1).

𝑇𝑒𝑣𝑎𝑝,𝑖 and 𝑇𝑒𝑣𝑎𝑝,𝑜 are the evaporator’s inlet and outlet water temperatures, respectively.

The compressor is the driving force of the refrigerant to complete a closed cycle in the

system.

- The power required by the compressor, 𝐖̇𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩 is evaluated as follows [41]:

𝐈𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩 𝐕𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩 𝐜𝐨𝐬 𝐣 √𝟑 (4)

𝐖̇𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩 =
𝟏𝟎𝟎𝟎

A high-temperature vapor refrigerant is condensed into liquid in the condenser and gives off

heat.

- The useful condensation heat is calculated as [18]:

𝐐̇𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 = 𝐦̇𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐩,𝐰 (𝐓𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝,𝐨 − 𝐓𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝,𝐢 ) (5)

The COP of the heat pump

The COP of the heat pump is given by the ratio of the quantity of heat rejected by the

condenser into the greenhouse to the total power consumed by the compressor as follows:

𝐐̇𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 (6)
𝐂𝐎𝐏 =
𝐖̇𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩

15
The COP of the global heating system COPsys is defined as the ratio of the quantity of heat

rejected by the condenser into the greenhouse to the power consumed by the compressor and

pumps in the system. It is expressed by:

𝐐̇𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 (7)
𝐂𝐎𝐏𝐬𝐲𝐬 =
𝐖̇𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩 + 𝐖̇∑ 𝐩

However, the pump’s COP can also be defined as follows:

𝑪𝒂𝒑𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭 (8)
𝐂𝐎𝐏 =
𝐩̇ 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭

Where, 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭 is the heat pump’s heating capacity at current conditions (kJ hr-1). Therefore,

Capheat is calculated as follows:

𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭 = 𝐏̇𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭 . 𝐂𝐎𝐏 (9)

Where, 𝐏̇𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭 : heat absorbed by the pump, (kJ hr-1)

The thermal energy absorbed by the source fluid stream in heating mode, 𝐐̇𝐚𝐛𝐬 given by the

following equation:

𝐐̇𝐚𝐛𝐬 = 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒕 − 𝐏̇𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭 (10)

The water outlet current temperatures are evaluated as follows:

𝐐̇𝐚𝐛𝐬 (11)
𝐓𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞,𝐨 = 𝐓𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞,𝐢 −
𝐦̇𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐂𝐩,𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞

𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭 (12)
𝐓𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝,𝐨 = 𝐓𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝,𝐢 −
𝐦̇𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝐂𝐩,𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝

𝐓𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞,𝐨 : The exit source liquid temperature, [°C]

𝐓𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞,𝐢 : The inlet source liquid temperature, [°C]

𝐓𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝,𝐢 : The inlet liquid temperature at the load side, [°C]

 Solar collector

The solar collector delivers useful energy as follows:

16
 𝐐̇𝐮 = 𝐅𝐑 𝐀 𝐂 [𝐈𝐓 (𝛕𝛂)−𝐔𝐋 (𝐓𝐢 −𝐓𝐚 )] = 𝐦̇𝐂𝐩𝐰 (𝐓𝐰,𝐨 − 𝐓𝐰,𝐢 ) (13)

The instantaneous efficiency of the solar collector is calculated as the ratio of the usable

power and the solar power incident on the collector surface:

𝐐̇𝐮 𝐦̇𝐂𝐩𝐰 (𝐓𝐰,𝐨 − 𝐓𝐰,𝐢 ) 𝐅𝐑 [𝐈𝐓 (𝛕𝛂)−𝐔𝐋 (𝐓𝐢 −𝐓𝐚 )] (14)

𝛈𝐜 = = =
𝐀 𝐂 𝐈𝐓 𝐀 𝐂 𝐈𝐓 𝐈𝐓

𝐐̇𝐮 (15)
𝐓𝐰,𝐨 = 𝐓𝐰,𝐢 +
𝐦𝐂𝐩𝐰

Capillary tube heat exchanger

An infinitesimal element of a capillary tube heat exchanger in the direction of the water flow

is considered. The differential heat flow, dQ for the infinitesimal control volume is given by:

dQ = ṁCp dTf (x) = U(x)(Tf (x) − Tg )dS (16)

Where dS is the differential wall area between the fluids. U is the overall heat transfer

coefficient of the exchanger.

- Integrating equation (16) leads to:

To − Tg (17)
ṁCp Ln = U. S
Ti − Tg

S is the surface area of heat transfer, (m2)

The amount of heat exchange is obtained as follows:

Q = ṁCp (To − T𝑖 ) (18)

The two previous equations are given by equation (18):

(To − Ti ) (19)
Q = U. S = U. S. LMTD
To − Tg
Ln T − T
i g

(To −Ti )
Where, LMTD = To −Tg is the logarithmic mean temperature difference.
Ln
Ti −Tg

17
Energy analysis of the heating system based on simulation tools needs consistent information

of the space characteristics such as geometry and location, thermal heating system, and

equipment. This work aims at analyzing the performance of a WTWHP in a Mediterranean

climate during the heating season using the TRNSYS software characterized by modular

analysis. This analysis consists of dividing the thermal system into several modules. The

reading of Tunisian weather data and parameters was carried out by Type 109-TMY2 at

regular time intervals from an input data file to the component Type 56, and the output was

the calculated results [30, 31].

The capillary tube mat was modeled and simulated by Type 31b as a heat exchanger

interacting thermally with the ground of the greenhouse, A reversible WTWHP is used to

model Type 668 based on the user entered data, including input charge and source

temperatures. The solar collectors were modeled and simulated by Type 1b. The controller

used in this study is the ON/OFF differential device modeled by Type 108 which contains the

hysteresis effect [42].

The following limitations apply to this model:

 The study was conducted in a meteorological condition of small ranges of

temperatures and relative humidity.

 The COP was the main factor in the evaluation of the heating system.

 Since solar radiation is intermittent and the ambient temperature varies considerably

during a normal day in a cold climate, resulting in a decrease in COP, it will be very

useful to couple the heat pump systems with the solar heat storage units to reduce the

size of the heat pump and reduce the effects of heat load peaks.

18
3. Model Validation

Table 3 shows that as per published studies, a higher solar system capacity was used to heat

the same space area. In the present work, a 10-kW heat pump is used to heat the glass

greenhouse. The combination of the heat pump and solar collector is investigated to study the

impact of utilizing renewable solar energy on the performance of the heat pump in cold

climatic conditions. The limitation in this analysis is that the size of the solar collector system

has to be such that it does not provide extra heat in addition to the heat provided by the heat

pump, which will impact the thermal comfort inside the greenhouse. The larger size of a solar

system implies a lower capacity of the heat pump. In this study, the optimal size of the heat

pump is calculated based on the greenhouse volume and the factors to account for the type of

construction. The volume is 229.5 m3, and the corresponding factors are 1.2, 0.8, and 44 W.m-
2
for the type of insulations, construction type, and power per square meter, respectively. The

calculated heat pump capacity is 9694 W; therefore, the pump is chosen with a capacity of 10

kW and the solar system size s 2 m2.

Table 3: Overview of GSHP and SGSHP Research

Ref. System Nature of space Area of Collector Number COPhp The capacity
heating space area (m2) of obtained of the heat
heating (m2) collectors pump (kW)
[24] solar-assisted Detached 60 1.6597 7 3.91 6.8
dual-source house
multifunction
al heat pump

[9] GSHP Office 1150 - - 3.9 8.7

building

[10] heat pump Greenhouse 4000 - - 1.6-4.9 2 x 32

system + covered by
two layers of
liquefied polyethylene
petroleum film
gas

[34] SGSHP Residential 100 from 5 1 4 5

building to 15m2

19
[37] SGSHP Residential 150 10 1 3.8 7
building

[38] SGSHP Residential 108 2 3 4.4–5.8 5.82

building

[39] SGSHP Greenhouse 130 10 4 4.14 10.33

with double
layer
Polyethylene

[40] SGSHP Detached 498 2.27 3 2.78 18

two-storey
building

[42] SGSHP Residential 100 3 1 3.52–3.75 12

building

[45] SGSHP Residential 1104 2.26 78 3.5–4.9 48/36

building

[47] SGSHP+ two Laboratory 36 13.6 4 5.77–7.95 4.6

fan coil units building

[56] GSHP with a Glass 30 - - 2.3–3.8 5.484

latent heat greenhouse
storage tank

[57] GSHP Residential 321 - - 3.05–3.44 12.66

building

[58] GSHP Office 4550 - - 4.9–5.2 110

building

[59] heat pump Greenhouse 100 - - 2.32–3.55 6.5

system + heat
storage tanks
+ fan-coil-
units + an
electric
heater

[60] ground- Greenhouse 715 - - 7 2x53.5

coupled
multi-heat
pump system

[61] SGSHP Office 300 20 1 4.4–4.21 –

building

[62] Evacuated Greenhouse + 26.25 9.75 1 4.24 11

tubes and an plastic

20
 electrical heat Polyethylene
pump film

4. Discussion and Results

The results obtained from the numerical study with the TRNSYS software for two days in

January, are discussed to determine the performance characteristics of the system. In a second

step, the effect of the combination of the heat pump system with a flat plate solar collector of

an area of 2 m2, linked to the cold source, will be studied to estimate the effect of solar energy

on the heat pump performance.

4.1. The climate properties

Whatever the configuration, the performance of the system depends heavily on the climatic

conditions. Several climatic factors are to be considered to heat the greenhouse. The climate

inside the greenhouse is different from the outside since the solar radiation, temperature, and

atmospheric composition change.

The average ambient air temperature ranges from (12-28) °C with an annual average of 19.16

°C, and 22.76 °C inside the greenhouse. In addition, the lowest average air temperature occurs

in January reaching 12°C and 15.6 °C for ambient air and air inside the greenhouse,

respectively. The highest average air temperature occurs in August reaching 28°C and 31.5 °

C for ambient air and air inside the greenhouse, respectively. The values of the average annual

relative humidity for the ambient air and the air inside the greenhouse are 67.91% and

58.31%, respectively. The average value of the temperature inside the greenhouse was

maintained at about 23 °C to achieve a favorable environment for plant growth inside the

greenhouse during the heating season. This will have a direct impact on plant production and

help in ensuring food security in developing countries.

21
The monthly average values of the air temperature and relative humidity are shown in

Figures 4 and 5, respectively.

Ambient Temperature - TRNSYS

40
Temperature inside the greenhouse - TRNSYS

35

30
Temperature [°C]

25

20

15

10

0
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Month

Fig. 4: The ambient and the greenhouse monthly average temperatures

Ambient relative humidity - TRNSYS

Relative humidity inside the greenhouse - TRNSYS
80

70

60
Humidity [%]

50

40

30

20

10

0
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Month

Fig. 5: The ambient and the greenhouse monthly average relative humidity

22
The dynamic hourly behavior of the greenhouse and ambient relative humidity is shown in

Fig.6. It was observed that the ambient relative humidity is very increased during the night

and early morning hours, compared to inside the greenhouse. The maximum internal relative

humidity was 58% at night and the minimum was approximately under 18%.

Ambient relative humidity - TRNSYS

Relative humidity inside the greenhouse - TRNSYS
90 Ambient relative humidity - Experimental
Relative humidity inside the greenhouse - Experimental

80

70
Relative humidity [%]

60

50

40

30

20

10
0 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32 36 40 44 48
Time [hr]

Fig. 6: Hourly average values of relative humidity inside and outside the greenhouse

4.2. Performance of heating system without solar collector

The hourly variation of the inlet evaporator and the outlet condenser temperatures are shown

in Fig.7. At noon, the inlet evaporator temperature reaches its maximum of 17 °C.

Furthermore, an increase in the condenser temperature is observed with the increase in the

inlet evaporator temperature.

23
 The outlet water temperature of the condenser - TRNSYS
The inlet water temperature of the evaporator - TRNSYS
The outlet water temperature of the condenser - Experimental
50
The inlet water temperature of the evaporator - Experimental

45

40
Temperature [°C]

35

30

25

20

15

10
0 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32 36 40 44 48
Time [hr]

Fig.7: The hourly variation of the inlet evaporator and outlet condenser temperatures
Fig. 8 presents the change of the heat pump and system COP as a function of time. When

determining the value of the COPhp, only the energy consumption of the compressor was

considered. However, the value of COPsys was determined by considering the summation of

the energy input and the water circulation pump work, which results in lower COPsys than the

COPhp as expected. The average values of COPsys and COPhp are found to be 2.8 and 3.7,

respectively. Low COP values are recorded overnight as the ambient temperature decreases

with high load.

On the other hand, the highest values are recorded during the day as the ambient temperature

increases. The COPhp and COPsys values are significantly influenced by the ambient

temperature. As the ambient temperature increases, both COPs will increase. In the meantime,

the ambient temperature highly depends on solar radiation so that it increases as the solar

radiation increases. From the results shown in Fig.7 and Fig.8, one can conclude that the inlet

evaporator and outlet condenser temperature, as well as the COPsys and COPhp, are

significatively affected by the climatic conditions.

24
 COPhp - TRNSYS
5,0
COPsys - TRNSYS

4,5

4,0
COP

3,5

3,0

2,5

2,0
0 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32 36 40 44 48
Time [hr]

Fig. 8: The heat pump COPhp , and the system COPsys as a function of time
Fig. 9 shows the evolution of the electrical power consumption of the heat pump and the heat

delivered to the glass greenhouse. The heat pump provides almost constant thermal power of

around 2.2 kW during the night because of the drop in water temperature at the evaporator

inlet. Then we observe an increase in the thermal power delivered to the greenhouse to reach a

maximum of around 4.3 kW following the increase in ambient temperature during the day.

The consumption of the electrical power by the heat pump has the same trend variation of the

thermal heat delivered, reaching its maximum values between (12 -14) h during the day.

25
 Heat delivered to the greenhouse
5000
Power consumed by the heat pump

4000

3000
Power [W]

2000

1000

0
0 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32 36 40 44 48
Time[hr]

Fig. 9 The heat delivered to the greenhouse and power consumed by the heat pump.
The temperature inside the greenhouse was found to increase with the decrease of the depth of

the capillary tube heat exchanger buried in the ground.

The hourly dynamic distribution of the greenhouse air temperature is presented in Fig. 10 for

the two cases studied, namely with and without heating. The average greenhouse air

temperature with heating reached 23.63 °C, while it was of the order of 18.4 °C for the case of

no heating. It can be concluded that the heating system increased the greenhouse air

temperature by about 5.2 °C producing a favorable climate condition to plant growth.

26
 Temperature inside the greenhouse before heating - TRNSYS
Temperature inside the greenhouse after heating - TRNSYS
35 Temperature inside the greenhouse before heating - Experimental
Temperature inside the greenhouse after heating - Experimental

30
Temperature [°C]

25

20

15

10

0 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32 36 40 44 48
Time [hr]

Fig. 10: The greenhouse air temperature with and without heating

4.3. Performance of the Combined Heating System

The operating time of the solar collector remained almost 7 hours during periods of sunshine

and was turned off at night.

As shown in Fig. 11, the introduction of solar thermal energy into the operating process

increases the temperature of water at the evaporator inlet and condenser outlet by 3.57 °C and

3.58 °C, respectively, during the period of sunshine (from 9h to 16h).

27
 The outlet water temperature of the condenser - TRNSYS
The inlet water temperature of the evaporator - TRNSYS
60 The outlet water temperature of the condenser - Experimental
The inlet water temperature of the evaporator - Experimental
55

50
Temperature [°C] 45

40

35

30

25

20

15

10

5
0 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32 36 40 44 48
Time [hr]

Fig. 11: The temperature of the water at the evaporator inlet and condenser outlet with the solar collector

The hourly dynamic heat pump and system performances COPhp, and COPsys, with the solar

collector introduced into the system, are presented in Fig. 12. As solar radiation increases

during the day, the value of the COPsys increases. The COPhp and the COPsys of the SAHP

system are enhanced with a percentage of 10.7% in comparison to the conventional heat pump

system without a solar collector. This result indicates the importance of solar energy in

enhancing the GCHP system performance.

The high values of COPhp and COPsys correspond to the rise of the ambient and water

temperatures at the evaporator inlet, which indicates that the solar radiation intensity directly

influences the performance of the solar-assisted heat pump system and consequently by the

water temperature at the evaporator inlet.

28
 COPsys - TRNSYS
5,5
COPhp - TRNSYS

5,0

4,5

4,0
COP

3,5

3,0

2,5

2,0
0 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32 36 40 44 48
Time[hr]

Fig. 12: Evolution of the COPhp and COPsys of the SAHP

Fig. 13 presents the compressor power consumed and the rate of heat energy delivered to the

greenhouse in the SAHP system. It is noted that the power consumed by the compressor is

decreased during the operation time of the solar collector, and the amount of consumed power

is mostly dependent on solar radiation. It can be concluded that the flat solar collector is an

energy-efficient source of heat pump and that it fulfills an essential role in reducing electrical

energy consumption and improving system efficiency. The proposed SAHP system was found

to be more suitable in achieving better energy performance for space heating and could

provide the most significant heating capacity with the highest COP compared to the GCHP

system. Finally, the combination of solar energy with the heating process had a significant

effect on the improvement of greenhouse temperature and energy efficiency of the system.

29
 Heat delivered to the greenhouse
Power consumed by the heat pump
3500

3000

2500
Power [W]

2000

1500

1000

500

0
0 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32 36 40 44 48
Time [hr]

Fig. 13: The variation of the rate of energy delivered, and power consumed of SAHP system.

Air greenhouse temperature before heating with solar collector

36 Air greenhouse temperature after heating with solar collector

34

32

30
Temperature [°C]

28

26

24

22

20

18

16

0 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32 36 40 44 48
Time[hr]

Fig. 14: The air temperature before and after inserting the solar collector into the heating
system.

30
Fig.14 shows the air temperature inside the greenhouse is increased by about 1.5 ° C after

inserting the solar collector into the heating system. This improvement will take place only

during the period of sunshine and the operation of the collector.

4.4. Comparison with Published Research Works:

In this part, we will check the validity rate of our simulation model by comparing the current

results with those of studies focused on the performance analysis of heat pump systems used

for heating purposes. The comparison is made by calculating the uncertainty between the

values found in this study and the published values of other experimental studies conducted in

similar weather conditions.

The errors of heat exchangers, circulation pumps, ambient temperature variation, and solar

radiation in every simulation and experimental work, the COP found in this study is in good

agreement with those published results, as shown below. During the night, the COPhp and

COPsys, the ambient temperature, the power delivered, and the power consumption of the heat

pump has the same general trend of hourly variations. During the day, following the

progressive increase of the ambient temperature, a slight increase of COP hp and COPsys is

noticed. Moreover, the water temperature at the inlet of the evaporator, the intensity of the

solar radiation, the COPhp, and the COPsys are directly proportional. This theory is in good

agreement with the experimental results developed by Bakirci [11], and Chargui et al. [14]. It

is reported in the literature [18, 8, 44] that the average COP of a heat pump is around 4 in the

study presented by Pulat et al. [8], Tong et al. [18], and Awani et al. [44]. As shown in Fig.

12, the comparison of the temporal evolution of the heat pump COP from 9h to 15h which

was obtained in this study, and the uncertainty analysis in Table. 4, to the references [8, 11],

have the same variation trends with a slight difference in value due to the difference in

31
climatic conditions. However, the present system has higher COP values in comparison to

these works for most of the day.

The uncertainty calculated between the COPhp of the heat pump of the current study and the

study in [5] from 9h to 15h did not exceed 8%, So, it can be concluded that the values of COP

were accurate enough.

Table. 4 Uncertainty of COPhp of the present study with COP in the literature [8], [11]

Hour 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00

Uncertainly with [8] 8.1% 9.27% 0.38% 4.57% 4.93% 5.47% 6.1%

Uncertainly with [11] 15.6% 0.8% 6% 9.5% 11.9% 11.1% 19.5%

5. Conclusion

A numerical and experimental investigation has been carried out under the meteorological

conditions of Tunis to study SAHP performance during the winter period. Optimization of

solar systems to heat greenhouses and reduce heating costs in Tunisia was carried out. This

work describes two different configurations of the heat pump system. The first system is

initially composed of a WTWHP coupled with a capillary tube mat disposed horizontally

under a greenhouse of 100 m2. The second system consists of a WTWHP with a solar flat

plate collector to study its effect on system performance. TRNSYS Software modeled the

system, and the Tunisia weather conditions were used for the simulation results. Experimental

and numerical results are relatively close and similar, and the model was compared using

published data in the literature. The combination of solar energy with the heat pump has the

advantage of maintaining a stable temperature when the solar collector is used as a heat

source for the evaporator. Besides, the combined system helps in extending the lifetime of the

heat pump by reducing its start and stop times and could result in a saving of more than 18%

in electrical energy consumption.

32
It was found that the average COP values of the GCHP system and heat pump were 2.8 and

3.7, respectively. In the case of the SAHP system, the COP values of the SAHP and heat

pump systems were 3.2 and 3.88, respectively. The COPhp was found to be in direct relation

to the water temperature at the evaporator outlet. The COPsys of SAHP and GCHP increased

significantly as solar irradiation and ambient temperature increase. The average value of the

temperature inside the greenhouse was maintained at about 23 °C to achieve a favorable

environment for plant growth inside the greenhouse during the heating season. This will have

a direct impact on plant production and help in ensuring food security in developing countries.

The proposed SAHP system was found to be more suitable in achieving better energy

performance for space heating and could provide the most significant heating capacity with

the highest COP compared to the GCHP system. Finally, the combination of solar energy with

the heating process had a significant effect on the improvement of greenhouse temperature

and energy efficiency of the system.

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