Thermal analysis of solar-assisted heat pumps for swimming pool heating

Abstract

The present work analyzes the technical feasibility of solar-assisted heat pumps for swimming pool heating in South Brazil. The methodology is based on computer simulations for four configurations of heating systems for private outdoor pools that are located in Florianopolis, SC, Brazil. The simulations were performed using TRNSYS software. The four configurations considered herein include a conventional heat pump in which ambient air is used as the heat source for an air-to-water heat pump (ASHP), a parallel configuration between the solar collectors and an air-to-water heat pump (SA-ASHP), a series configuration in which the solar collectors are used as the heat source for a water-to-water heat pump (SA-WSHP), and a combination of the last two systems (SA-DSHP). The simulation results indicate that the solar-assisted heat pump systems can achieve a significantly better performance than a conventional heat pump system. The proposed schemes can reduce energy consumption up to 48%, and the systems can achieve a seasonal performance factor between 6.7 and 8.2. Therefore, a proper design of the solar field is determined through a detailed economic assessment by combining the cost and performance of all of the system components. However, the results of the evaluation shows that only SA-ASHP and SA-DSHP are economically feasible.