Experimental study and optimization analysis of vapor compression heat pump coupled with gas boiler

Shifeng Deng, Haoyuan Zhang, Guangying Li, Teng Qu, Huaishuang Shao and Qinxin Zhao

Energy, 2025, vol. 314, issue C

Abstract: Heat pumps are considered to be the mainstream heat source in the future, with lower carbon emissions compared to the traditional fossil fuel based boilers. However, the promotion of air-source heat pumps is constrained by their low efficiency due to low ambient temperature, especially in northern China. The exhaust flue gas temperature is substantially higher than the air temperature by at least 40 °C, and therefore, combining gas-fired hot water boiler and heat pump (gas-electricity coupling) is a low-carbon and economic compromise in the near future. This study focuses on the economic point of view of the gas-electricity coupling system. An experimental bench of such a system was built, which was later used to validate the mathematical model of the heat pump, the boiler, and the heat exchanger. This study puts forward the optimal life-cycle benefit of the heat pump coupled with the gas boiler system, and the gas-electricity coupling system operation process based on the gas-electricity price ratio of the dynamic regulation method. The results can greatly shorten the payback period of the gas-electricity coupling system to 1.46 years, improve the efficiency of the gas boiler by 12.3 %, and utilize the laws of market economy to promote the application of heat pumps in the heating field.

Keywords: Compression heat pump; Gas boiler; Flue gas latent heat; Thermal efficiency; Economy; Carbon emissions; System optimization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:314:y:2025:i:c:s0360544224039677

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2024.134189

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