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Air Source Heat Pumps
The air source heat pump differs from the geothermal and the ground heat pumps in that instead of extracting the air and manufacturing it into heat via the ground, it takes from the air.
The function of the air heat pump is to collect air from the external environment and extract the heat from it, which it then seeks to use to use for heating the household or interior and in providing a hot water supply. The air source heat pump has three main components, which consists of a heat, exchanger, a compressor and a means of transporting the heat into the receiving heater.
The heat exchanger is the part of the heat pump in which the outside air is blown over and assists with extracting the heat from the air. The compressor imitates a reverse refrigerator in effect, meaning that instead of cooling the air, it increases its temperature. The means of transporting the heat can be either through radiators or an under-floor heating system which relates to the heating of the internal environment or a hot water tank which relates to the hot water supply.
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The heat pump achieves the heating and cooling through transporting a refrigerant via selected internal and external heat pump coils. Various components are used to alter the condition of the refrigerant from both a gas to a liquid and a liquid to a gas. The refrigerant contained within the heat pump is used to increase or decrease the temperature of the coils in a household or commercial building. Fans are used to draw the room air over the coils.
This heat pump gets its name through the external heat exchanger and has led to the term “Air Source” heat pump. When the refrigerant passes through the external coils in liquid form the outdoor ambient air causes this liquid to reach boiling point. This endothermic reaction which turns liquid into gas requires a substantial quota of energy as it generates heat using a cooler element.
After the process of heating the building and its water, the vapour cools, in an exothermic reaction by transferring it back to a cold liquid, which means the heat pump is ready to initiate the process all over again.
Efficiency
The efficiency of the air source heat pump in comparison with oil and gas powered boilers is that a heat pump is by far a more modern, economically and environmentally friendly means of generating energy; whereas oil and gas options are outdated concepts.
The efficiency of the heat pump is measured via the Coefficient of performance (COP). To simplify, a COP of three means the heat pump generates three units of heat energy per every one unit of electricity it expends. Regarding milder climates, the COP of an air source heat pump can be up to four whereas with a harsher winter climate it takes more effort to transport the same amount of heat indoors in comparison.
The performance of the air source heat pump is limited by various factors as the external to internal temperature difference increases. A geothermal heat pump will have less variation in Coefficient of Performance (COP) as the outdoor ground temperature by which it obtains heat is more consistent than the outdoor ambient air temperature.
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