Numerical and experimental analysis of a new solar assisted heat pump with thermal energy storage

In this thesis, a new thermal energy storage unit integrated with the condenser of the heat pump system was designed in order to provide a sustainable and efficient heating load of the solar assisted heat pump system. Numerical analysis was performed using Ansys-Fluent program to characterize the thermal behavior of the phase change material in the thermal energy storage unit designed for this purpose. The thermal energy storage unit was first tested experimentally in the air source heat pump system and then a new solar assisted heat pump system was developed and experimental analyzes were carried out in this system. A new photovoltaic-thermal assisted (solar assisted) heat pump system has been developed for a sustainable heating system by obtaining both electricity and heat energy from solar energy. Numerical and experimental analyzes of a new solar assisted heat pump with thermal energy storage were completed and the results were presented and compared. The average values of the performance coefficient, which is an important criterion for heat pump systems, are ranged from 2.24-2.34 for the air source heat pump system 2.32-2.77 for solar assisted heat pump system, and 2.93-3.18 for the photovoltaic-thermal assisted heat pump system. The average thermal efficiencies of the double-pass solar air collector and double-pass photovoltaic-thermal panel designed for solar assisted and photovoltaic-thermal assisted heat pump systems were calculated as 56.05% and 55.33%, respectively, depending on meteorological conditions. In addition, it was compared with the same photovoltaic panel to analyze the electrical performance of the double-pass photovoltaic-thermal panel. The average electrical efficiency of the designed double-pass photovoltaic-thermal panel was calculated as 16.35% and it was found that there was a 1.28% increase in electrical efficiency compared to the photovoltaic panel. It was observed that the phase change material in the thermal energy storage unit melted completely in 180, 150 and 183 minutes (charging) and solidified (discharging) in 348, 307 and 343 minutes in air source, solar assisted and photovoltaic-thermal assisted heat pump systems, respectively. The numerical results of the thermal energy storage unit designed for the heat pump system were found to be consistent with the experimental results with a 6.56% absolute error.