Thermoacoustic heat pump utilizing medium/low-grade heat sources for domestic building heating

Abstract

Thermoacoustic heat pumps are a promising heating technology that utilizes medium/low-grade heat to reduce reliance on electricity. This study proposes a single direct-coupled configuration for a thermoacoustic heat pump, aimed at minimizing system complexity and making it suitable for domestic applications. Numerical investigations were conducted under typical household heating conditions, including performance analysis, exergy loss evaluation, and axial distribution of key parameters. Results show that the proposed thermoacoustic heat pump achieves a heating capacity of 5.7 kW and a coefficient of performance of 1.4, with a heating temperature of 300 °C and a heat-sink temperature of 55 °C. A comparison with existing absorption heat pumps reveals favorable adaptability for large temperature lift applications. A case study conducted in Finland over an annual cycle analyzes the economic and environmental performance of the system, identifying two distinct modes based on the driving heat source: medium temperature (≥250 °C) and low temperature (<250 °C), both of which exhibit favorable heating performance. When the thermoacoustic heat pump is driven by waste heat, energy savings of 20.1 MWh/year, emission reductions of 4143 kgCO₂/year, and total environmental cost savings of 1629 €/year are obtained. These results demonstrate the potential of the proposed thermoacoustic heat pump as a cost-effective and environmentally friendly option for domestic building heating using medium/low-grade heat sources.