What is a heat pump, how it works, and what types of heat pumps there are

What is a heat pump?

Heat pumps transfer heat from one place to another. Heat pumps with air source move heat between the air inside the home and the air outside. Ground heat pumps extract heat from the ground outside the home and carry it home. These systems are known as geothermal heat pumps. The principle of operation of both types of systems is the same.

It is important to understand how heat pumps work. There are many different types of heat pumps, but they all work with the same basic principle - heat transfer. This means that instead of burning fuel to create heat, the device moves pre-existing heat from one place to another.

How does heat transfer happen?

The property of heat that it naturally descends is what this process is based on. This means that it tends to move from a place with a high temperature to a place with a lower temperature. The heat pump uses a small amount of energy to turn this process around, pulling the heat out of a relatively low-temperature zone and moving it to a higher temperature zone. Thus the heat is transferred from the "source of heat", such as the ground or air, to your home

Before choosing which type of system is best for your home, you need to consider several important factors, including home size and local climate.

Most often the heat pumps are used for heating, cooling, and production of domestic hot water in houses, residential buildings, public buildings, etc. This type of air conditioning system is many times more economical and practical than wood, coal, oil, gas, and others.

How does the heat pump work?

One of the most common types of heat pumps is one with a source of air. This unit absorbs heat from the air outside your home and pumps it inside through coils full of refrigerant, not very different from those on the back of your refrigerator. This type of system is better known as an air-to-air heat pump, as it absorbs heat from the outside air and transports it into internal ducts.

The air source heat pump system consists of two main components - an external device (which resembles the external device of the air conditioning system) and an internal device. Both internal and external units contain various important subcomponents.

External unit

The external unit contains a coil and a fan. The coil works as a capacitor (in cooling mode) or evaporator (in heating mode). The fan blows out of the air over the coil to facilitate heat exchange.

Internal unit

The internal device usually contains a coil and a fan too. The coil acts as an evaporator (in cooling mode) or a capacitor (in heating mode). The fan moves the air through the channels in the home.

So far, you have learned that air source heat pumps use an outdoor fan to import air on refrigerated coils. Two sets of these coils carry this heat indoors, where it is then blown out of the coils by a second fan and distributed to your home. Some air source heat pump systems consist of a packaged block containing both sets of coils in one box. Most often this box is mounted on the roof of the building. This type of system is installed for the air conditioning of commercial buildings. Home heat pumps are usually separated systems with an external and internal component installed through the wall. Depending on the type of the system, there may be one or more internal components for heat distribution.

Other types of heat pumps

If your home does not have heat distribution ducts, you could use a heat pump called a mini-split heat pump. This type of system connects a unit to an outdoor air source with multiple internal units. These internal units connect to water heat or heaters. Mini-split systems are suitable if you decide to upgrade your home heating equipment with a heat pump system, as their location outside and inside the home is flexible. Another plus is that the installation requires only a 3-inch (7.6 cm) wire to pass through the wall, which is quite unobtrusive. They are also very versatile. Internal air manipulators can be installed in walls and ceilings.

Another type is the air-water heat pump, which extracts heat from the outside air and moves it to the heating system (steam installation). The energy efficiency of this system depends on weather conditions. As the average temperatures in winter in Bulgaria are a little over 0 ° C, the operating conditions of the air-water heat pump makes it suitable in the long run. Modern improvements to this type of system ensure good operation even at lower temperatures.

Ground heat pumps are a little different. They absorb heat from the ground or underground body of water and transfer it indoors or back. The most common type of heat pump from the ground source transmits heat directly from the ground, absorbing it through underground pipes filled with water or refrigerant. These liquid pumping pipes can be either closed-loop or open-loop systems. They work by circulating the same refrigerant or water through the pipes repeatedly in a closed-loop system. In an open-loop system, the water is pumped from the underground water source. From there, the heat is extracted from the water and this water is returned to the water source.

To improve the air conditioning of your home, we offer you the Midea M-Thermal MHA-V16W / D2RN1 Split heat pump

The dual rotary DC inverter compressor guarantees optimal reliability and efficiency, providing 80% heating capacity at -7 ° C, thanks to the large heat exchanger. Heating, cooling, and domestic hot water, this is an ideal solution for heating your home. M-Termal provides operation in a wide temperature range and the possibility of different outlet water temperatures. Compatible with additional heat sources (AHS), including solar and ordinary water heaters.

It has a compact design, independent hydro module, and flexible installation. The tubular connections move indoors from the outdoor body and there is no need for additional insulation against freezing. You do not need to pay for an additional refrigerant if the pipe connections do not exceed a length of 10 meters.

Its work is independent of weather conditions to ensure absolute comfort. The M-thermal interface can control two areas with the ability to select a priority function and choose from several modes. Special functions for blowing air, preheating, and drying the floor.

See more about this Midea model HERE

The heat pump is a universal, efficient cooling and heating system. Thanks to a reverse valve, the heat pump can change the flow of the refrigerant and either heat or cool the home. This way you can count on having reliable air conditioning. The heat pump heating is the most efficient compared to other types of heating appliances. Efficiency comes from the fact that this system does not use energy to heat, but simply carries heat.

Trust the experts from our team and contact us for advice and recommendations: https://www.midea.bg/en/content/contact-us.html.