COMPARISON OF ENERGY AND EXERGY ANALYSES OF A SOLAR-ASSISTED HEAT PUMP WITH SEASONAL STORAGE

ABSTRACT This report outlines the exergy performance of a complex heating-plant consisting of solar-assisted heat pumps with ground-coupled seasonal storage. The system has been monitored for some years enabling us to quantify the energy balance. Since heat is supplied using a mix of different energies, the energy balance is not wholly satisfactory. For this reason, we have also prepared an exergy balance. The energy and exergy balances are compared. They reveal a great difference. The exergy balance allows us to highlight the most important irreversibilities of the process.