Energy Optimization for Transcritical CO2 Heat Pumps for Combined Heating and Cooling and Thermal Storage Applications

A transcritical heat pump (THP) cycle using carbon dioxide (CO2) as the refrigerant is known to feature an excellent coefficient of performance (COP) as a thermodynamic system. Using this feature, we are designing and building a system that combines a water-to-water CO2 heat pump with both hot and cold thermal storages know as Thermal Battery (TB) (Blarke, 2012). Smart and effective use of intermittent renewable energy resources (for example solar and wind power) is obtained supplying water heating (>70 C) and cooling services (<10 C) for residential and commercial buildings. Our fundamental hypothesis is that if electricity generated by intermittent sources is destined for thermal end-uses an efficient conversion of electricity to thermal energy and storage enables a flexible power supply. Thermal storage is more cost-effective than any electro-chemical or mechanical storage technology. The usability and the cost effectiveness are critical for smart grid policies on large-scale integration of intermittent renewables. In this paper, we present an analytic thermodynamic model that predicts the effect of temperature and flow rate of hot and cold water circulation on system COP. The analytical predictions are consistent with the experimental results (Sarkar, 2010).