New water-based heat pump delivers 400% more heat than the energy it uses
SeaWarm’s heat pump can harness energy from any water body, offering a
more sustainable solutidon for powering homes and businesses.
By Shubhangi Dua Jun 06, 2024
https://interestingengineering.com/energy/water-based-heat-pump-more-heat-than
A new type of equipment is being trialed at Edinburgh University to
sustainably power homes and offices in Edinburgh, Scotland.
This innovation has been developed by SeaWarm, a University of Edinburgh
Spin-Off Company that harnesses the power of water sources from seas,
rivers, ponds, and even mine water to provide efficient heating and
cooling for homes and businesses.
Known as the Water Source Heat Pump (WSHP), the system utilizes thermal
energy stored in these water bodies.
SeaWarm’s HotTwist tech extracts heat from water
The system features a heat exchanger, such as SeaWarm’s HotTwist
technology, which is designed to extract heat from the water. The heat
exchanger collects thermal energy from the water and transfers it to the
heat pump, where it is compressed to a higher temperature suitable for
heating purposes.
This system is optimized for stable water temperatures, ensuring
consistent performance, and can even operate efficiently in extreme
conditions by utilizing the latent heat of ice fusion, according to the
company.
As per The Guardian, SeaWarm’s heat pump is currently being tested by
Edinburgh University in an affordable housing project near the Firth of
Forth, close to the Forth Bridge, at a gold-mining museum in southwest
Scotland, and in a commercial greenhouse in Fife.
The report also mentioned that another heat pump system is planned for
installation this summer at the Scottish Seabird Centre in North
Berwick, which will also harness energy from the Firth of Forth.
This represents the most recent method of harnessing the natural warmth
present in the environment to heat buildings, employing technologies
similar to those used in air and ground source heat pumps.
“While the SeaWarm heat exchanger is coupled to a standard ground source
heat pump, it collects heat from water bodies instead of the ground,”
the firm explained.
“Water can store ~2x more thermal energy in a given volume than the
ground, and ~3400x the thermal energy than air, offering a unique edge
in efficiency over traditional ground or air source heat pumps.”
Glycol aids converting energy even in colder conditions
The SeaWarm system has a key component – glycol, a liquid used as an
anti-freeze agent. Glycol circulates through looped tubing within the
heat exchanger, where it absorbs thermal energy from the water source.
This warmed glycol is then compressed in the heat pump, raising its
temperature sufficiently to heat water for various purposes, such as
radiators and baths.
As the glycol travels through the system, it cools down and repeats the
process, ensuring continuous heat transfer from the water source to the
building, even in colder conditions.
In fact, the team of scientists from Edinburgh University said that
their designs called SeaWarm and RiverWarm can also harness energy from
frozen water.
“It’s about trying out a whole series of constellations, but at the
heart of it is the same technology,” stated Prof Chris McDermott from
Edinburgh’s school of geosciences, the lead designer.
Gus Fraser-Harris, a hydrogeologist also working on the design, told The
Guardian that the system would be more expensive to buy and install than
an air source heat pump but cheaper than a ground source heat pump when
its final version goes on sale.
He added that the HotTwist system is said to deliver 350% to 400% more
heat than the electricity it needs to operate, which is comparable to
the most efficient air source heat pumps.
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