Experimental Study of a Novel Direct-Expansion Variable Frequency Finned Solar/Air-Assisted Heat Pump Water Heater

A novel direct expansion variable frequency finned solar/air-assisted heat pump water heater was fabricated and tested in the enthalpy difference lab with a solar simulator. A solar/air source evaporator-collector with an automatic lifting glass cover plate was installed on the system. The system could be operated in three modes, namely, air, solar, and dual modes. The effects of the ambient temperature, solar irradiation, compressor frequency, and operating mode on the performance of this system were studied in this paper. The experimental results show that the ambient temperature, solar irradiation, and operating mode almost have no effect on the energy consumption of the compressor. When the ambient temperature and the solar irradiation were increased, the COP was found to increase with decreasing heating time. Also, when the compressor frequency was increased, an increase in the energy consumption of the compressor and the heat gain of the evaporator were noted with a decrease in the heating time.