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...the most efficient heat pump in the world

PRR
PRR Member Posts: 226
in A-C, Heat Pumps & Refrigeration

The hunt for….

https://www.wired.com/story/heat-pump-maximum-efficiency/#intcid=_wired-verso-hp-trending_68688bab-dc42-4754-8197-88a9dd294b45_popular4-1 at Wired.com

https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/07/the-hunt-for-the-most-efficient-heat-pump-in-the-world/ at ArsTechnica.com, extended discussion from a range of online 'experts'.

Gunning for towering SCOPs and reaching towards the Carnot limit is all
well and good—but obsessing over this could become distracting, stresses
Wheeler. “It’s something that’s been bugging me—everyone talks about
SCOP,” he says. “What we should be referencing is, what’s the cost, per
square meter, for certain types of homes?”

Comments

  • Hot_water_fan
    Hot_water_fan Member Posts: 2,037

    Makes sense they can hit that with radiant floor heating. Impressive!

    ethicalpaul
  • DCContrarian
    DCContrarian Member Posts: 663

    I found the article unimpressive. Very little about what people were actually doing, just this paragraph:

    "Some of the key elements in achieving a high SCOP include keeping the flow temperature low; enabling weather compensation, so you don’t heat too much when it’s mild outside; adding large radiators that distribute heat efficiently into rooms; or using technology to intelligently defrost heat pumps during cold, damp weather, since that tends to make them ice up."

    They say the same thing three times: keep your water temperature low. I'm not sure what intelligent defrost is, it could be as simple as if it's above freezing don't use heat, just stop the compressor for a while and keep the fan going.

    I found the whole premise of "competitive" COP kind of dumb, frankly. COP is determined by temperature delta, the way to have a winning COP is to live in a temperate climate and keep your thermostat low in the winter and high in the summer.

  • DCContrarian
    DCContrarian Member Posts: 663

    I did find it interesting that the leader on the COP board has a seasonal COP of 5.5, and the guy with geothermal with solar assist has a COP of 6. So for 60,000 GBP — about $75,000 US — he gets a 0.5 boost in COP?

    One of the things Chiltrix brags about is that their air-to-water heat pump exceeds the Energy Star standard for geothermal.

    The advantage of geothermal is that output doesn't suffer when it's cold outside.

    ethicalpaul
  • DCContrarian
    DCContrarian Member Posts: 663

    With a Chiltrix you can calculate COP in real time, the heat pump tracks flow rate, temperature delta and power usage and displays on the monitor.

    Hot_water_fanGGross
  • Hot_water_fan
    Hot_water_fan Member Posts: 2,037

    Ha DC, obviously it would be climate adjusted.

  • PRR
    PRR Member Posts: 226
    edited July 4

    > the article unimpressive

    Agree. The editors at both tech-geek sites are on shaky ground with actual practical heat/cool technology. I read it as "entertainment", or at best a bunch of stuff to look-up at better sources.

    Also the extended discussion/debate at ArsTechnica sometimes adds more than the author and editor. (But my eyes get tired….)

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