Heating Performance Characteristics of a Heat Pump with a Variable Speed Injection Scroll Compressor

Vapor injection technique has been applied to prevent performance degrdation of a heat pump at low ambient temperatures. In this study, the heating performance of a heat pump with a variable speed injection scroll compressor using R-410A was investigated by applying sub-cooler vapor injection(SCVI) and flash tank vapor injection(FTVI). The heating performance of the heat pump was measured by varying compressor frequency and outdoor temperature. The heating capacity of the FTVI system was 8~10% higher than that of the SCVI system at all operating conditions. On the other hand, the heating performance improvement with the increase in the compressor frequency was more prominent in the SCVI system than in the FTVI system.