IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/energy/v298y2024ics0360544224011423.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

4E assessment of ejector-enhanced R290 heat pump cycle with a sub-cooler for cold region applications

Author

Listed:
  • Zou, Lingeng
  • Yu, Jianlin

Abstract

Currently, the worldwide implementation of the Montreal Protocol has accelerated the development of low GWP refrigerants. R290 as an alternative refrigerant with low GWP has great advantages over R134a for heat pump applications. However, the use of expansion valve throttling in the heat pump cycle has a large irreversible loss. Therefore, an ejector-enhanced sub-cooler vapor injection heat pump cycle (ESVIC) with R290 for water heating is proposed in this paper to improve the energy efficiency by applying ejector. The thermodynamic models are established based on the 4E (energy, exergy, economic and environmental) analysis to compare its performance with the basic ejector-enhanced heat pump cycle (BEEC) and the sub-cooler vapor injection heat pump cycle (SVIC). The energy analysis results show that compared with the BEEC and SVIC, the volumetric heating capacity of the ESVIC is improved by 42.0 % and 21.2 %, and the heating coefficient of performance (COPh) of the ESVIC is improved by 27.6 % and 5.3 %, respectively. The exergy analysis results indicate that in BEEC, SVIC and ESVIC the exergy destruction of the expansion valves is 0.3 %, 13.5 % and 0.8 %, respectively. It is indicated that the adoption of ejector can significantly decrease the exergy destruction of expansion valves. Moreover, the environmental analysis results reveal that the carbon emissions of ESVIC is 21.5 % and 5.0 % lower than those of BEEC and SVIC, respectively. Besides, for the ESVIC system, the carbon emissions of the life cycle climate performance when using R290 are 9.9 % lower than that of using R134a, indicating that the R290 is a potential substitute for R134a in heat pump applications. The economic analysis results demonstrate that the unit exergy production costs of ESVIC is 21.6 % and 5.1 % lower than BEEC and SVIC, respectively.

Suggested Citation

  • Zou, Lingeng & Yu, Jianlin, 2024. "4E assessment of ejector-enhanced R290 heat pump cycle with a sub-cooler for cold region applications," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 298(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:298:y:2024:i:c:s0360544224011423
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2024.131369
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360544224011423
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.energy.2024.131369?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Wu, Jinxing & Sun, Shoujun & Song, Qinglu & Sun, Dandan & Wang, Dechang & Li, Jiaxu, 2023. "Energy, exergy, exergoeconomic and environmental (4E) analysis of cascade heat pump, recuperative heat pump and carbon dioxide heat pump with different temperature lifts," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 207(C), pages 407-421.
    2. Abas, Naeem & Kalair, Ali Raza & Khan, Nasrullah & Haider, Aun & Saleem, Zahid & Saleem, Muhammad Shoaib, 2018. "Natural and synthetic refrigerants, global warming: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 557-569.
    3. Jan Rosenow & Duncan Gibb & Thomas Nowak & Richard Lowes, 2022. "Heating up the global heat pump market," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 7(10), pages 901-904, October.
    4. Pitarch, Miquel & Navarro-Peris, Emilio & Gonzálvez-Maciá, José & Corberán, José M., 2017. "Evaluation of different heat pump systems for sanitary hot water production using natural refrigerants," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 190(C), pages 911-919.
    5. Zhongchao Zhao & Yanrui Zhang & Haojun Mi & Yimeng Zhou & Yong Zhang, 2018. "Experimental Research of a Water-Source Heat Pump Water Heater System," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-13, May.
    6. Redón, A. & Navarro-Peris, E. & Pitarch, M. & Gonzálvez-Macia, J. & Corberán, J.M., 2014. "Analysis and optimization of subcritical two-stage vapor injection heat pump systems," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 231-240.
    7. Zou, Lingeng & Liu, Ye & Yu, Jianlin, 2023. "Energy, exergy and economic evaluation of a solar enhanced ejector expansion heat pump cycle," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 217(C).
    8. Zou, Lingeng & Liu, Ye & Yu, Mengqi & Yu, Jianlin, 2023. "A review of solar assisted heat pump technology for drying applications," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 283(C).
    9. Choi, JunYoung & Lee, DongChan & Park, Myeong Hyeon & Lee, Yongju & Kim, Yongchan, 2021. "Effects of compressor frequency and heat exchanger geometry on dynamic performance characteristics of heat pump dryers," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 235(C).
    10. Tashtoush, Bourhan M. & Al-Nimr, Moh'd A. & Khasawneh, Mohammad A., 2019. "A comprehensive review of ejector design, performance, and applications," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 240(C), pages 138-172.
    11. Chen, Jianyong & Havtun, Hans & Palm, Björn, 2015. "Conventional and advanced exergy analysis of an ejector refrigeration system," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 139-151.
    12. Wang, Jijin & Qv, Dehu & Yao, Yang & Ni, Long, 2021. "The difference between vapor injection cycle with flash tank and intermediate heat exchanger for air source heat pump: An experimental and theoretical study," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 221(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Sven Gruber & Klemen Rola & Danijela Urbancl & Darko Goričanec, 2024. "Recent Advances in Ejector-Enhanced Vapor Compression Heat Pump and Refrigeration Systems—A Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(16), pages 1-50, August.
    2. Hu, Longxiang & Xiong, Tong & Liu, Guoqiang & Xiao, Qideng & Li, Tingxun & Li, Jinbo & Yan, Gang, 2025. "Variable-circuitry heat exchanger for performance improvement of R290 air source heat pump system," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 318(C).
    3. Gao, Jinshuang & Li, Sheng & Adnouni, M. & Huang, Yan & Yu, Meng & Zhao, Yazhou & Zhang, Xuejun, 2024. "Simulation study on thermal performance of solar coupled air source heat pump system with phase change heat storage in cold regions," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 308(C).
    4. Manesh, Afshin Mohammadi & Liu, Hui, 2025. "Thermo-environ-economic analysis of a novel solar-assisted heat pump system; comparison with conventional single stage and cascaded air source heat pumps," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 322(C).
    5. Zou, Lingeng & Liu, Ye & Yu, Jianlin, 2025. "Recent advances on performance enhancement of propane heat pump for heating applications," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 314(C).
    6. Jaber Sadeghiseraji & Mercè Garcia-Vilchez & Robert Castilla & Gustavo Raush, 2024. "Recent Advances in Numerical Simulation of Ejector Pumps for Vacuum Generation—A Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(17), pages 1-28, September.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Zou, Lingeng & Liu, Ye & Yu, Jianlin, 2025. "Recent advances on performance enhancement of propane heat pump for heating applications," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 314(C).
    2. Ma, Di & Chen, Qi & Yan, Gang, 2024. "Thermodynamic and economic analysis of a solar-assisted ejector-enhanced flash tank vapor injection heat pump cycle with dual evaporators," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 235(C).
    3. Jing, Siqi & Chen, Qi & Yu, Jianlin, 2024. "Analysis of an ejector-assisted flash tank vapor injection heat pump cycle with dual evaporators for dryer application," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 286(C).
    4. Tang, Yongzhi & Liu, Zhongliang & Li, Yanxia & Huang, Zhifeng & Chua, Kian Jon, 2021. "Study on fundamental link between mixing efficiency and entrainment performance of a steam ejector," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 215(PB).
    5. Jeon, Yongseok & Kim, Sunjae & Lee, Sang Hun & Chung, Hyun Joon & Kim, Yongchan, 2020. "Seasonal energy performance characteristics of novel ejector-expansion air conditioners with low-GWP refrigerants," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 278(C).
    6. Deymi-Dashtebayaz, Mahdi & Davoodi, Vajihe & Khutornaya, Julia & Sergienko, Olga, 2023. "Parametric analysis and multi-objective optimization of a heat pump dryer based on working conditions and using different refrigerants," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 284(C).
    7. You, Jinfang & Zhang, Xi & Gao, Jintong & Wang, Ruzhu & Xu, Zhenyuan, 2024. "Entransy based heat exchange irreversibility analysis for a hybrid absorption-compression heat pump cycle," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 289(C).
    8. Tang, Yongzhi & Zhong, Zilong & Liu, Zhongliang & Lu, Lin & Huang, Yichen & Wen, Chuang, 2025. "Study on evolution law of non-equilibrium phase transition flow and performance improvement of steam ejector for MED-TVC desalination system," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 316(C).
    9. Xiong, Chengyan & Luo, Huilong & Ren, Ke & Wang, Xinyu & Liu, Jiyuan & Chen, Zidan & Sun, Biyang & Wu, Changlang & Yang, Xiaochuan & Du, Peijian, 2025. "An efficient CO2 air-to-water heat pump central space heating system in cold regions: A case study," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 242(C).
    10. Feng, Xu & Wu, Yuting & Du, Yanjun & Qi, Di, 2024. "Optimization and performance improvement of ultra-low temperature cascade refrigeration system based on the isentropic efficiency curve of single-screw compressor," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 298(C).
    11. Liu, Guangdi & Zhang, Shengqi & Zhao, Hongxia & Chen, Yu & Pu, Liang, 2025. "Performance improvement of a novel trans-critical CO2 air conditioner system with various cabin loads by using surrogate models and genetic algorithms," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 316(C).
    12. Cheng, Jia-Hao & Cao, Xiang & Shao, Liang-Liang & Zhang, Chun-Lu, 2023. "Performance evaluation of a novel heat pump system for drying with EVI-compressor driven precooling and reheating," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 278(PB).
    13. Zeng, Min-Qiang & Zheng, Qiu-Yun & Zhang, Xue-Lai & Mo, Fan-Yang & Zhang, Xin-Rong, 2022. "Thermodynamic analysis of a novel multi-target temperature transcritical CO2 ejector-expansion refrigeration cycle with vapor-injection," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 259(C).
    14. Konrad, Mary Elizabeth & MacDonald, Brendan D., 2023. "Cold climate air source heat pumps: Industry progress and thermodynamic analysis of market-available residential units," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 188(C).
    15. Zhao, Zhen & Luo, Jielin & Zou, Dexin & Yang, Kaiyin & Wang, Qin & Chen, Guangming, 2023. "Experimental investigation on the inhibition of flame retardants on the flammability of R1234ze(E)," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 263(PE).
    16. Song, Zhiying & Ji, Jie & Cai, Jingyong & Zhao, Bin & Li, Zhaomeng, 2021. "Investigation on a direct-expansion solar-assisted heat pump with a novel hybrid compound parabolic concentrator/photovoltaic/fin evaporator," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 299(C).
    17. Jiang, Sufan & Gao, Shan & Pan, Guangsheng & Zhao, Xin & Liu, Yu & Guo, Yasen & Wang, Sicheng, 2020. "A novel robust security constrained unit commitment model considering HVDC regulation," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 278(C).
    18. Gabriel Reichert & Sophie Ehrenbrandtner & Robert Fina & Franz Theuretzbacher & Clemens Birklbauer & Christoph Schmidl, 2025. "Different Types of Heat Pump Owners in Austria—Purchase Arguments, User Satisfaction, Operating Habits, and Expectations Regarding Control and Regulation Strategies," Businesses, MDPI, vol. 5(2), pages 1-36, April.
    19. Feng, Jiayu & Gao, Jintong & Hu, Bin & Wang, Ruzhu & Xu, Zhenyuan, 2024. "A mass-coupled hybrid absorption-compression heat pump with output temperature of 200 °C," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 312(C).
    20. Frank Bruno & Martin Belusko & Edward Halawa, 2019. "CO 2 Refrigeration and Heat Pump Systems—A Comprehensive Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-39, August.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:298:y:2024:i:c:s0360544224011423. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/energy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.