Development of an Integrated Solar Heat Pump Concept Using Ice Slurry as a Latent Storage Material

Abstract This paper presents the design analysis of a solar heat pumpusing cool thermal storage. The integrated concept uses cool storage (sensible or ice-based) as a short-term (i.e. days, weeks) storage for solar energy in winter and cooling energy in the summer. Annual TRNSYS simulations are performed in four Canadian regions to identify the potential of ice storage and unglazed solar collectors. Results show that combiningthese two technologies can reduce mechanical system energy use by 17% - 28% compared to a cold-climate air-water heat pump. Unglazed collectors demonstrated potential in areas with milder winters.