Heat pumps represent a more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly technology compared to combustion plants used for heat generation. Heat transfer between the heat source and the refrigerant in the evaporator and the refrigerant and the heat sink in the condenser requires a temperature difference, which is one of the main sources of irreversibility of the heat pump system. The reduction of the temperature difference has a great influence on the improvement of the efficiency of the heat pump system. In order to evaluate the energy efficiency of the heat pump at different temperature differences between the heat source and the evaporation temperature, a transparent evaporator has been designed, which allows the modification of the evaporating surface and the possibility of visualizing the refrigerant flow.
In the diploma thesis the basics of heat pump operation and a description of the individual components are presented. Great importance was attached to checking the compatibility of the materials used in the production of the evaporator and to the calculations, necessary to ensure the tightness and thus the safe operation of the evaporator. Based on the known boundary conditions of the experimental heat pump, we carried out calculations to theoretically improve the energy efficiency of the existing heat pump. The calculations serve as a basis for confirming the basic objective presented in the thesis, where we are observing the effects of the modified surface of the evaporator on the energy efficiency of a heat pump.
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