Trigeneration systems based on heat pumps with natural refrigerants and multiple renewable sources

TRI-HP will provide the most appropriate knowledge and technical solutions in order to cope with stakeholder’s needs, building demand characteristics, local regulations and social barriers.

Objectives

• Development and testing of affordable flexible tri-generation systems able to cover heating, cooling and electricity demands with a large share of renewable sources. The systems developed are:
  •     Solar-ice system using a supercooling ice-slurry heat pump with solar as main heat source
  •     Dual source/sink heat pump system using ground and air as heat sources/sinks
     
• Development and testing of special heat exchangers for the different heat sources and refrigerants, able to improve the performance of the heat pumps. Three heat exchanger types will be developed:
  •     An always free-of-ice evaporator, the so-called supercooler, for an ice-slurry heat pump
  •     Tri-partite gas cooler for simultaneous domestic hot water and space heating provision for a CO2 heat pump
  •     A dual source/sink heat exchanger for ground/air renewable heat sources.
     
• Development and testing of three natural-refrigerant based reversible heat pumps able to provide heating and cooling with multiple heat renewable sources. Three heat pumps will be developed:
  •     A transcritical CO2 heat pump with a  tri-partite gas cooler and a supercooler evaporator
  •     A propane heat pump with a dual source/sink heat exchanger for dual ground/air use
  •     A propane heat pump with a supercooler evaporator
     
• Development of two advanced controls:
  •     A heat pump self-diagnosis algorithm to increase reliability and facilitate maintenance
  •     An advanced energy management system based on model predictive control
     
• Understanding and improving stakeholders’ acceptance of TRI-HP systems
  •     Analyse and identify the interest and needs of end-users and installers
  •     Understand and determine other stakeholder’s acceptance

Partners:

• HSR HOCHSCHULE FUR TECHNIK RAPPERSWIL (HSR)
• FUNDACION TECNALIA RESEARCH & INNOVATION (TECNALIA)
• CADENA SYSTEMS AG (Cadena)
• FUNDACIO INSTITUT DE RECERCA DE L'ENERGIA DE CATALUNYA (IREC)
• ALFA LAVAL LUND AB (ALFA LAVAL)
• INDUSTRIELACK AG (ILAG)
• ISOE GMBH (ISOE)
• NORGES TEKNISK-NATURVITENSKAPELIGE UNIVERSITET NTNU (NTNU)
• TEKNOLOGISK INSTITUT (DTI)
• HOCHSCHULE KARLSRUHE-TECHNIK UND WIRTSCHAFT (UASKA)
• FEDERATIE VAN VERENIGINGEN VOOR VERWARMING EN LUCHTBEHANDELING IN EUROPA VERENIGING (REHVA)
• GRVEFC SL (EFC)

Start date: 1/03/2019 - End date: 28/02/2023