Study of an Integrated Appliance, the Air Conditioner/Heat Pump-Heat Recovery Unit-Water Heater. Final Report, November 1980

摘要

Three integrated heat-pump - heat-recovery-unit - water-heater appliances were tested under various environmental conditions to measure the functional parameters and study the operating characteristics of these systems. It was found that the heat recovery, heat-recovery rate, and heat-recovery efficiency were dependent on the heat-recovery-unit's characteristics. The use of the heat-recovery unit in the system resulted in a reduced work load for the heat pump's compressor and slightly improved the heat-pump's performance. A computer simulation model of the integrated system was developed to study the interactions between several of the pertinent system variables on an hourly basis for selected situations and to estimate energy savings. Two alternative estimation methods that utilize five-degree temperature bin data were also developed. The estimate savings determined by using the alternative methods were about the same as those estimated using the hourly data. Conclusions were also reached concerning the use of water heaters with different tank capacities and on methods of increasing potential energy savings. (ERA citation 81:025720)