Air Source Heat Pumps
Air Source Heat Pumps
For those without the space to accommodate ground loops or those who wish to avoid the expense of drilling boreholes, an Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP) is the ideal solution to sustainable energy and lower running costs.
JUPITER offer superbly quiet and ultra-efficient, inverter-driven heat pumps by MasterTherm and Acond.
Where the heat load exceeds 22 kW, a three-phase electrical supply will be necessary.
How They Work
Large fans are used to draw in the air and pass it through a finned heat exchanger, where it heats a water/anti-freeze mixture. Thermal energy is absorbed by the refrigerant which then passes through a compressor.
The process of compressing the refrigerant without allowing it to occupy a greater volume increases both its pressure and, most importantly, its temperature. This compressed and heated refrigerant then passes through another heat exchanger where it transfers its thermal energy to the heating system inside the house, often via a buffer vessel.
Internal Requirements
Some space must be set aside for a hot water cylinder and a buffer tank. The size of these components depends upon the size of the space to be heated and the anticipated occupancy of the building.
The hot water cylinder stores water heated by the heat pump and provides instantaneous hot water to your taps and showers when called for.
The buffer tank stores warm water generated by the heat pump to be used by the home’s heating system. The buffer tank ensures the heat pump’s requirements for minimum flow rates and total volume of water in the circuit are met even if there is little demand from the heating system, increasing the heat pump’s efficiency and lifespan by reducing cycling.
External Requirements
An air source heat pump must be positioned externally and is ideally located near the property so that the length of pipework from heat pump to cylinder can be kept as short as possible without compromising the steady flow of air.
Ideally the heat pump will be positioned in a ‘suntrap’. A sunny external wall is ideal as it will absorb the heat from the sunshine and re-emit it, warming the air nearby and providing the heat pump with a better starting point in terms of the pre-compression temperature of the refrigerant.
To allow adequate drainage of condensation the compressor unit should be installed on a concrete plinth with gravel around its footings. Please get in touch for details on how this should be constructed. If the unit is to be installed on a roof then the roof’s standard drainage design should be more than sufficient to handle the condensation produced.
Air Source Heat Pumps:
Case Studies
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
