What is a heat pump system?

Being as brief as possible, it pumps heat. That’s it! Heat can be extracted from below the ground, from the
groundwater, or from the air. A perfectly engineered system is required to accomplish this.

There are various kinds of heat pumps. We will talk about all of them in a bit but the most common one is the
air-to-air heat pump. Heat is transferred from outside air to the inside air by a refrigerant. It is literally your air
conditioner working in reverse. In fact, many air conditioner units have the option of converting to a heat
pump. So is the case with refrigerators.

How it works?

The process is rather simple but still, most people find it confusing. It is not complicated if understood with an
open mind.

Basically, it is a cycle repeated over and over again. There are two coils in a heat pump. Both are hollow and
are made of copper. The evaporator coil absorbs the heat from the surrounding causing the refrigerant to heat
up and turn into gas. The gas is then compressed and that causes its temperature to increase significantly. The
hot fluid then passes through the condenser coil inside the room. This is where heat transfer occurs. The
gaseous refrigerant condenses thus turning to liquid. The liquid then goes through the evaporator coil and the
process reiterates.

Do not get confused with the condenser coil and evaporator coil. In a heat pump the condensation is occurring
inside the room so we call it a condenser. Whereas, in an air conditioner the ev aporation occurs inside the
room so we call it an evaporator.

What is refrigerant?

Why can’t we use water or milk or lemonade? Refrigerant is the heat carrier in this system. Without this
substance, heat cannot circulate. It has to have the physical properties ideal for the heat pump. There are
many but most importantly, it must have a low boiling point. This is so that is absorbs heat easily.

Components of heat pump

Condenser

Evaporator

Reverse valve

Compressor
Refrigerant

Air circulator

Different Types of Heat Pumps

As I mentioned earlier, there are various kinds of heat pumps. So here are so.

The three most common heat pumps are:

1- Air source heat pumps

These being the most common are the best. Upfront cost is high but it can save you a lot yearly. Heat is
extracted from the air outside to heat up the air inside. Unlike ground source an dwater source ari source heat
pumps can be used as water heaters. They can become air conditionersin summer. They are electrically
operated.

2-Water source heat pumps

It is somewhat similar to the ground source system except the loop is not cunder the ground. But this requires
a pond, lake or a deep water body for proper operation. The installation costs are less as compared to the
ground source. There is no digging involved. This is the least common heat pump among these three.

If you have a water body near you, it does mean you shoul go for it. the efficiency of this system depends on
the location, area and climate of the place. You might even require a cooling tower to tranfer heat in and out
of the building. So do consult an expert before taking any decision.

3-Ground source heat pumps

A closed-loop of a rust-free pipe is placed way below the ground. The temperature at this level is higher than
the surface. The water circulates in this loop. Water heats up below the ground. Water then passes through a
heat pump. This system is used in space heating or cooling. The ground temperature remains constant and
works efficiently. This system is cost-effective for spacious buildings.

What about the uncommon ones:

1- Hybrid systems

It is necessary to have a backup source of heating if climet i s extreme. Most heat pumps don’t work efficiently
in very low temperatures. These include air heta pumps. The solution is to have a combo.

Combo one: Ground and air source heat pump

Air heat pumps uses for moderate winter and switching to ground system whe n temperature drops
significantly.

Combo two: Heat pump and gas boiler

These are more common combos. Many people already have boilers so when they turn to heat pumps, they
use boilers as a backup.

2-Solar heat pumps system

Solar panels are planted on the roof to run the heat pumps. This can lead to having zero running cost. These
are more beneficial if use with air source heat oups as they are electrically operated.

3- Exhauset heat pump

These are common for industries. Hot exhauset gases can be turned to heta pumps before being released in
the atmosphere.

Pros and Cons of Heat Pumps