Testing a Flexible Configuration of a Solar-Assisted Heat Pump with PVT Collectors for Domestic Hot Water Production
Abstract
A solar energy based pilot system located in Athens, Greece, is examined experimentally for covering hot water demand. The system consists of a heat pump with vapor injection coupled with low concentrating stationary PVT collectors in a flexible configuration. The produced heat of the collectors is delivered to the hot water tank directly covering the demand with the heat pump operating as an air-source unit and supporting the charging when its temperature gets below 45 oC. This work examines the performance and the capacity of the system with two different draw-off profiles (medium and large) based on EU standard EN16147:2017 simulated by an electronic valve with a constant water mass flow rate and a pre-defined time schedule during the day. Tests have been conducted for both profiles during summer days with the aim to evaluate the system performance in terms of heat balances and net electricity consumption once considering the power production of the PVT collectors as well.