Overview
The Water to Water Heat Pump Test Rig demonstrates a vapour compression cycle operating as a heat pump, extracting heat from a source water circuit and delivering it at a higher temperature to the sink water circuit. The rig can operate in heating mode (heat pump) and cooling mode (refrigeration), allowing COP measurement in both modes. Students measure source and sink inlet and outlet temperatures, water flow rates, compressor power, and calculate the heating COP (COPh) and cooling COP (COPc). The apparatus highlights the energy efficiency advantage of heat pumps over direct electric heating in building heating and industrial process heat recovery applications.
Specifications
| Refrigerant | R134a or R410A |
| Source (evaporator) | water, 10 to 30 degrees C |
| Sink (condenser) | water, 30 to 60 degrees C |
| Water flow rate | 1 to 5 LPM (both circuits) |
| Compressor | hermetic scroll type |
| Power measurement | digital wattmeter |
| Instrumentation | RTD at 4 water circuit ports |
| Power supply | 220V AC, 50 Hz |