make the world a better place with a bit of optimization
Air Source Heat Pumps
The latest renewable technology on the market that everyone is getting excited about is ASHP’s or ground source heat pumps. Although not strictly a renewable energy there are certain benefits to be had when installing one of these ASHP’s as you don’t have to rely on the sun shining or the wind blowing and will operate 24/7.
An ASHP can provide cooling and heating and has a COP of 2-3 depending on ambient conditions. This means that for every unit of energy we put in we are getting 2-3 units out. The latest ASHP’s on the market, which use CO2 as a refrigerant, have a COP of 5-6 and can supply hot water at 70.C. Amazing.
Every ship has a steam boiler supplying either high temperature heating requirements (+/- 120.C for burning fuel) or low temperature (+/- 70.C for FO tank heating, Engine jackets, HVAC, DHW, etc). The average steam boiler has an efficiency of 70-80% with significant standing/ distribution losses and steam leaks. This means that for every unit of energy we are putting into the boiler we are getting +/- 0.7 of a unit out.
If we could use refrigerant as a heating medium, with the better COP, we could save energy, costs and carbon. I realise that these systems will only operate whilst in port and will only be suited to Ferry’s, Liners and Bulk carriers. Furthermore, there will be some design and installation issues but as we are all engineers we could work this out. A great benefit of these ASHP systems is that we would have a ‘free’ fridge attached to the system, which I am sure we could find a suitable use for.
So the question is:
‘ Can we use refrigerant as a heating medium rather than steam in some applications on a ship’.
As ever, I look forward to your comments.
An ASHP can provide cooling and heating and has a COP of 2-3 depending on ambient conditions. This means that for every unit of energy we put in we are getting 2-3 units out. The latest ASHP’s on the market, which use CO2 as a refrigerant, have a COP of 5-6 and can supply hot water at 70.C. Amazing.
Every ship has a steam boiler supplying either high temperature heating requirements (+/- 120.C for burning fuel) or low temperature (+/- 70.C for FO tank heating, Engine jackets, HVAC, DHW, etc). The average steam boiler has an efficiency of 70-80% with significant standing/ distribution losses and steam leaks. This means that for every unit of energy we are putting into the boiler we are getting +/- 0.7 of a unit out.
If we could use refrigerant as a heating medium, with the better COP, we could save energy, costs and carbon. I realise that these systems will only operate whilst in port and will only be suited to Ferry’s, Liners and Bulk carriers. Furthermore, there will be some design and installation issues but as we are all engineers we could work this out. A great benefit of these ASHP systems is that we would have a ‘free’ fridge attached to the system, which I am sure we could find a suitable use for.
So the question is:
‘ Can we use refrigerant as a heating medium rather than steam in some applications on a ship’.
As ever, I look forward to your comments.
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