BEopt gas absorption heat pump modeling

asked 2020-10-31 19:04:36 -0500

CDinkle
75 ●3

updated 2020-11-09 09:45:57 -0500

__AmirRoth__

4436 ●5 ●17 http://bleedinggreenna...

Hello, I am trying to model a Gas Absorption Heat Pump using COP values and BEopt, and I am having a difficult time determining if my method is consistent with BEopt's calculation method (also simulating a variety of heating methods and comparing it all).

I found the publication of their Support section of their website discussing calculation methods for heat pumps (Improved Modeling of Residential Air Conditioners and Heat Pumps for Energy Calculations), but being a GAHP, the aspects of the heat pump required for the capacity coefficients (single or two-stage) aren't relevant.

Has anyone modeled the energy consumption of a GAHP using data gathered from BEopt simulations? Or would anyone have more insight beyond the paper linked above as to how BEopt calculates heat pump capacity?

Thanks in advance.

answered 2020-11-23 13:35:40 -0500

a.frid
113 ●1 ●4

I just came across this question by accident. As you are aware, BEopt cannot currently model a GAHP, which really goes back to EnergyPlus' lack to ability to model such systems. In fact, there is still no way of modeling air-to-water heat pumps in EnergyPlus (which is likely a system you are trying to model).

The best way of doing it right is with user defined component models and EMS. This is an approach I have used to date. There's a short description of in this paper: https://www.techstreet.com/standards/...

You'd want to use a defined plant component as your GAHP. If you have performance data/curves, you'd then have to write an EMS program to define how this GAHP will perform at different conditions. If you look at the EMS examples included in the EnergyPlus documentation, the example for a user defined plant component would be highly relevant.

Based on the work described in the above paper, we are working on a more detailed publications. We're also hoping to implement some updates to EnergyPlus, but that won't happen until some time in 2021.