Manipulating large temperature glide of zeotropic mixture for ultra-high temperature heat pump (UHTHP): A comparative study

Jianyong Chen, Nuo Yang, Mengqing Deng, Ying Chen, Xianglong Luo, Yingzong Liang, Jiacheng He and Yannan Zhang

Energy, 2025, vol. 322, issue C

Abstract: Ultra-high temperature heat pumps (UHTHPs), capable of delivering heating temperatures exceeding 160 °C and recovering waste heat, have emerged as a cutting-edge technology for industrial heat decarbonization. While zeotropic mixtures offer great potential to improve UHTHP performance, the high supply temperature and deep waste heat recovery necessitate significant temperature glide in both heat sink and source, posing implementation challenges. This study introduces liquid-separation technology to manipulate the temperature glide of zeotropic mixtures in both condenser and evaporator, thereby reducing system irreversibility. Furthermore, an innovative adjusting-regenerative UHTHP (A-UHTHP) is proposed to fully harness the benefits of zeotropic mixtures. Through comparative analysis with two conventional UHTHPs (C-UHTHP and R-UHTHP) using four environmentally friendly working fluids, A-UHTHP demonstrates superior performance, including the maximumly enhanced COP by 77.42 % and 33.56 %, respectively, enhanced temperature matching, and minimized irreversibilities in throttling device and compressor. Analysis of liquid-separation configurations identifies the condenser as the primary source of entransy dissipation. Remarkably, A-UHTHP reduces compressor power by 31.86 % and 23.61 % at the considered nominal operating condition, and decreases emissions by 30.9 % and 11.8 %, based on life cycle climate performance (LCCP) assessments, compared to C-UHTHP and R-UHTHP, respectively. These results highlight an effective strategy to utilize zeotropic mixtures in UHTHPs.

Keywords: Ultra-high temperature heat pump; Zeotropic mixture; Liquid-separation; Temperature matching; Performance; LCCP (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:322:y:2025:i:c:s0360544225010126

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2025.135370

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