PERFORMANCE INVESTIGATION OF A DUAL-SOURCE HEAT PUMP FOR A SWINE NURSERY BARN IN NORTHERN ITALY

Achieving carbon neutrality relies on decarbonizing the heating of the building sector and heat pumps (HPs) possess significant potential to substitute non-renewable heating equipment. To address the application difficulties encountered by conventional heat pumps, there is a growing focus on the adoption of dual-source heat pumps (DSHP), which are potentially both more efficient and versatile. The present study highlights the development and experimental testing of a novel DSHP with digital capacity modulation. This system is designed to replace an LPG (Liquified Petroleum Gas) boiler for space heating in a swine burn, marking a significant exploration into the utilization of heat pumps in livestock buildings, an area that has received relatively limited attention in previous research. Specifically, HP’s performance is analyzed based on the pre-operational testing procedure and Seasonal Coefficient of Performance (SCOP) is calculated, according to EN-14825. Results reveal that DSHP operation achieves heating capacities of 30-32 kW with a COP approaching 5 in water-source mode, while in air-source mode, heating capacities exceed 30 kW with a COP ranging from 3-4. Hybrid operation demonstrates a modest improvement in COP alongside a 25% increase in heating capacity compared to air source mode. Additionally, with digital capacity modulation activated, the heat pump is tested in various compressor capacity modes (ranging from 20-100%) providing valuable insights into the performance of the system.