Impact of the Regulation Strategy on the Transient Behavior of a Brayton Heat Pump

Matteo Pettinari (), Guido Francesco Frate, A. Phong Tran, Johannes Oehler, Panagiotis Stathopoulos, Konstantinos Kyprianidis and Lorenzo Ferrari ()
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Matteo Pettinari: Department of Energy, Systems, Territory and Construction Engineering, University of Pisa, 56122 Pisa, Italy
Guido Francesco Frate: Department of Energy, Systems, Territory and Construction Engineering, University of Pisa, 56122 Pisa, Italy
A. Phong Tran: Institute of Low-Carbon Industrial Processes, German Aerospace Center (DLR), 03046 Cottbus, Germany
Johannes Oehler: Institute of Low-Carbon Industrial Processes, German Aerospace Center (DLR), 03046 Cottbus, Germany
Panagiotis Stathopoulos: Institute of Low-Carbon Industrial Processes, German Aerospace Center (DLR), 03046 Cottbus, Germany
Konstantinos Kyprianidis: Department of Sustainable Energy Systems, School of Business, Society and Engineering, Mälardalen University, 72123 Västerås, Sweden
Lorenzo Ferrari: Department of Energy, Systems, Territory and Construction Engineering, University of Pisa, 56122 Pisa, Italy

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 5, 1-22

Abstract: High-temperature heat pumps are a key technology for enabling the complete integration of renewables into the power grid. Although these systems may come with several variants, Brayton heat pumps are gaining more and more interest because of the higher heat sink temperatures and the potential to leverage already existing components in the industry. Because these systems utilize renewable electricity to supply high-temperature heat, they are particularly suited for industry or energy storage applications, thus prompting the development of various demonstration plants to evaluate their performance and flexibility. Adapting to varying load conditions and swiftly responding to load adjustments represent crucial aspects for advancing such systems. In this context, this study delves into assessing the transient capabilities of Brayton heat pumps during thermal load management. A transient model of an emerging prototype is presented, comprising thermal and volume dynamics of the components. Furthermore, two reference scenarios are examined to assess the transient performance of the system, namely a thermal load alteration due to an abrupt change in the desired heat sink temperature and, secondly, to a sudden variation in the sink mass flow rate. Finally, two control methodologies—motor/compressor speed variation and fluid inventory control—are analyzed in the latter scenario, and a comparative analysis of their effectiveness is discussed. Results indicate that varying the compressor speed allows for a response time in the 8–20 min range for heat sink temperature regulation (first scenario). However, the regulation time is conditioned by the maximum thermal stress sustained by the heat exchangers. In the latter scenario, regulating the compressor speed shows a faster response time than the inventory control (2–5 min vs. 15 min). However, the inventory approach provides higher COPs in part-load conditions and better stability during the transient phase.

Keywords: high-temperature heat pump; Brayton heat pump; dynamic modeling; transient simulation; control system (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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