Approximate Thermal Calculation of the Superheated Steam Condenser of Heat Pumps

A comparative analysis of the methods of approximate thermal calculation of the superheated steam condenser of the steam compression heat pump of the heat supply system is presented. The working substance of the heat pump and the condensing steam is the refrigerant R410a. When the single-zone method is applied, the condenser is calculated by one area with the inclusion of the heat of overheating in the heat of condensation and the use of the overheating coefficient. The two-zone method assumes the calculation of the condenser in two separate areas, viz. the cooling of superheated steam and its actual condensation. The approbation was carried out during a numerical study of a condenser of a low-temperature heat pump system for heating and hot water supply, with a heat exchange surface in the form of a spiral coil pipe in a pipe immersed in a heated liquid. In the first approach, the flow rate and temperature of the heated water are limited by the saturation temperature of the condensing refrigerant, regardless of the flow pattern of the working media. The method of two-zone calculation of the superheated steam condenser with a counter-current or cross-counter-current flow scheme of working media makes it possible to obtain real results of the temperature of the heated water that exceeds the temperature of the saturated refrigerant vapor, taking into account the flow rate of the heated water. In this case, the wall temperature in the cooling area is higher than the saturation temperature, and during condensation it is lower, which further confirms the adequacy of the presented technique. The use of a two-zone technique with a separate averaging of the physical properties of the working media in the areas of superheated steam and condensation cooling, as well as temperature pressures, provides a more accurate value of the heat exchange surface, which in the case under consideration is reduced to 20%. Based on the conducted studies, it is recommended to use a two-zone technique that makes it possible to obtain reliable data on the parameters of the superheated steam condenser.