Experimental performance analysis of a multiple-source and multiple-use heat pump system: Winter field experiment and heating operation performance evaluation

We herein report the development of a distributed heat pump system that can utilize a variety of renewable energy sources to meet different building heating and cooling demands (i.e., a multiple source and multiple use heat pump system, MMHP). In this system, a water circulating loop is used to connect ground heat exchangers, a unique sky-source heat pump, and various heat pumps for heating and cooling purposes to form a thermal network within a building. This distribution increases the flexibility of the system and allows an improved matching of supply and demand. To evaluate the system performance, an experimental house was constructed, and a winter field experiment was conducted. We found that the reported heat pump for floor heating achieved a stable operation with a high coefficient of performance of ~11.5, while the heat collecting operation performance of the sky-source heat pump varied significantly depending on the amount of solar radiation and the outside air temperature. Finally, since the sky-source heat pump contributes to an improvement in the whole system performance, it appears that there is still room for improved regarding the whole system performance by adjusting the operating and control strategy.