Investigation of the availability of heat pumps in passenger transportation vehicles in Turkey

ABSTRACT INVESTIGATION OF THE AVAILABILITY OF HEAT PUMPS IN PASSENGER TRANSPORTATION VEHICLES IN TURKEY Recep SERİN M.Sc., Department of Mechanical Engineering Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Şaban ÜNAL August 2022, 88 pages As a result of the industrialization process in our world, energy resources such as coal, natural gas, and oil are used to a large extent. In recent years, the use of wind and solar energy has started to constitute an important part of total energy consumption. The increase in the number of people living in the world has led to an increase in the need for energy. Due to the limited reserves of oil and its derivative energy resources, research is continuing all over the world for non-oil energy resources. Research and development studies continue on technologies such as solar panels, wind turbines, geothermal heating systems, wave and biogas generators to benefit from alternative energy sources. In addition to alternative energy sources, heat pumps are gaining popularity due to their low energy consumption, high coefficient of performance, and environmental friendliness. Heat pumps are devices that can be used for both heating and cooling. They get their energy from the surrounding environment, such as air, water, and soil. In this study, the usability of heat pumps for electric buses operating in different climatic regions of Turkey was investigated by using five-year data from the General Directorate of Meteorology for the years 2015–2019. According to the results obtained, it was concluded that the heat pump can be used easily in electric buses, especially in coastal areas. Key Words: Electric bus, heat pump, thermal comfort, different climatic regions of Turkey.