Performance and feasibility study of a heat pump with modified solar-air source evaporator: Techno-economic analysis for water heating

There is a rising demand for improving and analyzing the potential of alternative designs and operating conditions of heat pumps. The current study explores and reports on the techno-economic analysis (4E - Energy, Exergy, economic and environmental viability) of a Modified Dual Source Heat Pump (MDHP) water heater under various ambient and operating circumstances. There are three functioning modes are presented for operating the system all over the day irrespective of the ambient conditions: dual source with natural convection (MDHP-DN), dual source with forced convection (MDHP-DF), and air-source forced convection (MDHP-AF). The experimental analysis targeted to assess the system's overall performance under diverse design and operating conditions all over the day. The outcomes specify that the average COP of MDHP in dual source with natural convection mode (DN) is 7% and 18% larger than that of dual source with forced convection (DF) and (AF), respectively. The regular daily COP and exergy efficiency of MDHP (with five heat-up cycles per day) are 3.24 and 54.6%, respectively. Furthermore, the investigation into the annual effectiveness of the MDHP involves analyzing simulation studies that take into account the local ambient conditions. According to the results, the MDHP system has a payback period of around 689 days and a lifetime CO2 mitigation savings cost of approximately $178,057 compared to a conventional electric heating system. This inference implies that the suggested MDHP system can be adapted to varying weather conditions, providing active and long-term solutions compared with conventional heat pump water heating systems.