Performance Analysis of Alternative Compressor Cooling Techniques in Heat Pump Systems: Fan, Heat Pipe, and Peltier Applications

Abstract

The compressor, a continuously operating component in heat pumps, generates heat during operation, affecting efficiency. This study investigates the impact of various cooling methods, fan-assisted, passive cooling with heat pipes, and Peltier element cooling, on compressor performance and overall system efficiency, compared to the case without cooling. Experiments were conducted at two different voltages, 2 V and 4 V, to determine the effects of Peltier elements at different power levels. The study evaluated and discussed parameters such as the coefficient of performance (COP), entropy, enthalpy, isentropic efficiency, temperature variations, and related factors in detail. The findings highlighted the positive effects of cooling the compressor on isentropic efficiency, the thermal energy transferred from the condenser, and COP values. Among all scenarios, the use of Peltier elements yielded the best results for all parameters. However, increasing the voltage applied to the Peltier element from 2 V to 4 V caused the temperature of the hot side contacted to the environment to rise. This led to heat being transferred back to the cold side through conduction instead of being rapidly dissipated into the environment, resulting in higher compressor surface temperatures compared to the 2-V case. The highest COP value in the study was approximately 3.22, achieved with Peltier elements operating at 2 V. After accounting for the power consumption of the Peltier coolers, the COP values for experiments 1 through 5 were 2.05, 2.10, 2.12, 2.13, and 2.11, respectively.