Submitted by: Faisal Rafique

Topic: Heat pump trainer

Subject: HVAC

Roll#: 09-MC-76 3rd year, 6th semester

Mechanical Engineering Department NFC-IEFR, Faisalabad

Heat pump:
A heat pump is a device that extracts heat from one place and transfers it to another. Heat pumps transfer heat by circulating a substance called a refrigerant through a cycle of evaporation and condensation. A compressor pumps the refrigerant between two heat exchanger coils. In one coil, the refrigerant is evaporated at low pressure and absorbs heat from its surroundings. The refrigerant is then compressed en route to the other coil, where it condenses at high pressure. At this point, it releases the heat it absorbed earlier in the cycle.

Basic Refrigeration Cycle/Cooling cycle:

Refrigeration may be defined as the process of removing heat from a body or enclosed space so that its temperature first lowered and maintain at a level below the temperature of the surroundings. The system maintained at lower temperature is called refrigeration system and equipment used to maintain this lower temperature is called refrigerant equipment. Refrigerant A refrigerant is a substance used in a heat cycle usually including, for enhanced efficiency, a reversible phase change from a liquid to a gas. Traditionally, fluorocarbons, especially chlorofluorocarbons, were used as refrigerants, but they are being phased out because of their ozone effects. Other common refrigerants used in various applications are ammonia, sulfur dioxide, and non-halogenated hydrocarbons such as methane

Principles of Refrigeration:

Liquids absorb heat when changed from liquid to gas Gases give off heat when changed from gas to liquid.

For an air conditioning system to operate with economy, the refrigerant must be used repeatedly. For this reason, all air conditioners use the same cycle of compression, condensation, expansion, and evaporation in a closed circuit. The same refrigerant is used to move the heat from one area, to cool this area, and to expel this heat in another area.

The refrigerant comes into the compressor as a low-pressure gas, it is compressed and then moves out of the compressor as a high-pressure gas.

The gas then flows to the condenser. Here the gas condenses to a liquid, and gives off its heat to the outside air.

The liquid then moves to the expansion valve under high pressure. This valve restricts the flow of the fluid, and lowers its pressure as it leaves the expansion valve.

The low-pressure liquid then moves to the evaporator, where heat from the inside air is absorbed and changes it from a liquid to a gas.

As a hot low-pressure gas, the refrigerant moves to the compressor where the entire cycle is repeated.

Heating Cycle:
During the heating cycle, heat is taken from outdoor air and "pumped" indoors. First, the liquid refrigerant passes through the expansion device, changing to a low-pressure liquid/vapour mixture. It then goes to the outdoor coil, which acts as the evaporator coil. The liquid refrigerant absorbs heat from the outdoor air and boils, becoming low-temperature vapours. These vapours pass through the reversing valve to the accumulator, which collects any remaining liquid before the vapours enter the compressor. The vapours are then compressed, reducing its volume and causing it to heat up. Finally, the reversing valve sends the gas, which is now hot, to the indoor coil, which is the condenser. The heat from the hot gas is transferred to the indoor air, causing the refrigerant to condense into a liquid. This liquid returns to the expansion device and the cycle is repeated. The indoor coil is located in the ductwork, close to the furnace.

Components of heat pump:

Compressor:
The purpose of the compressor is to circulate the refrigerant in the system under pressure; this concentrates the heat it contains. At the compressor, the low pressure gas is changed to high pressure gas.

Condenser:
The purpose of the condenser is to receive the high-pressure gas from the compressor and convert this gas to a liquid. It does it by heat transfer, or the principle that heat will always move from a warmer to a cooler substance. Air passing over the condenser coils carries off the heat and the gas condenses.

Expansion Valve:
A thermal expansion valve is a component in refrigeration and air conditioning systems that controls the amount of refrigerant flow into the evaporator thereby controlling the superheating at the outlet of the evaporator. The expansion valve removes pressure from the liquid refrigerant to allow expansion or change of state from a liquid to a vapor in the evaporator.

Evaporator:
The evaporator works the opposite of the condenser; here refrigerant liquid is converted to gas, absorbing heat from the air in the compartment. When the liquid refrigerant reaches the evaporator its pressure has been reduced, dissipating its heat content and making it much cooler than the fan air flowing around it.

Thermostat:
A thermostat is a component of a control system which senses the temperature of a system so that the system's temperature is maintained near a desired set point.

Pressure gauge:
Pressure gauges are devices used for measuring the pressure of a gas or liquid.

High Pressure Control:

A pressure operated control which opens an electrical circuit if high side pressure becomes too high.

Capillary tube:
A capillary tube is a refrigerant control; its common types of air conditioner expansion valve. The capillary is simply a length of tubing with a small inside diameter which acts as a constant throttle on the refrigerant entering the evaporator.

Needle valve:
A needle valve is a type of valve having a small port and a threaded, needleshaped plunger. It allows precise regulation of flow, although it is generally only capable of relatively low flow rates.

Check valve:
A check valve, clack valve, non-return valve or one-way valve is a mechanical device, a valve, which normally allows fluid (liquid or gas) to flow through it in only one direction.

Pressure transducer:
A pressure transducer is a type of pressure sensor that measures pressure, typically of gases or liquids. Pressure sensors can also be used to indirectly measure other variables such as fluid/gas flow, speed, water level, and altitude.

Manual valves:
Manual valves are those valves that operate through a manual operator (such as a hand wheel or hand lever), which are primarily used to stop and start flow (block or onoff valves), although some designs can be used for basic throttling.

Sight glass:
A sight glass or water gauge is a transparent tube through which the operator of a tank or boiler can observe the level of liquid contained within.

Flow meter:
A flow meter is an instrument used to measure linear, nonlinear, mass or volumetric flow rate of a liquid or a gas.

Air flow meter:

An air flow meter is a device that measures air flow, i.e. how much air is flowing through a tube. It does not measure the volume of the air passing through the tube; it measures the actual speed of the air flowing through the device in a defined time segment.

Air flow sensor:

A device that's used in many electronic fuel injection systems for measuring the volume of air entering the engine. Some use a spring-loaded vane while others use a hot wire or heated filament to sense air flow.