Thermo-economic optimization of a 100 kW air-to-water heat pump for heating purposes in residential units

In order to reach the ambitious objectives of carbon neutrality by 2050 and the limitation of the ambient temperature rise at 1.5 °C, several intensive energy fields such as heating and cooling appliances should be decarbonized. On this regard, electric heat pumps represent the most promising solutions to replace old and inefficient conventional boilers and comply with the ecological transition through the increase of electric energy production by means of renewable sources. In this paper, a thermo-economic optimization analysis of a 100 kW air-to-water electric heat pump is proposed. The appliance is designed to produce hot water at 55 °C. The developed model employs phenomenological equations calibrated on real data and manufacturer datasheets for compressor, heat exchangers, and costs. Different design options, including the heat exchangers size and the choice of the working fluid (among R32, propane R290, ammonia R717, R454C), are presented and discussed. The Pareto analysis is then employed to find the best possible configurations in terms of costs and performance.