SL-08-023 -- Field-Tested Cooling Performance of Gas-Engine-Driven Heat Pumps PDF

This paper addresses the field cooling performance of a natural gas-engine-driven heat pump (GHP) system for space cooling and heating applications. Performance data were collected from six 10-ton GHP units installed at six military installations in the southwest United States. Note that the test sites in the southwest United States offer challenging operating conditions to air-cooled space cooling systems. Theoretical analysis showed significantly higher energy efficiency in space heating and cooling by GHP units compared to a conventional gas furnace for heating and electric direct expansion (DX) system for space cooling. In this paper, field measured cooling performance of the GHP units was compared to the theoretical efficiency during the 3 months of the 2007 cooling season. An independent laboratory reported  testing GHP system performance in a laboratory environment (Zaltash et al. 2007). The test results are presented in the same symposium session featuring GHP technology, and will be published in the same ASHRAE Transactions volume. GHP performance under field conditions and laboratory conditions were compared. This paper also presents the GHP system’s energy conservation and cost savings potential in space air conditioning.

Units: I-P