[BLDG-SIM] experience with desuperheaters?

[Jeff Thornton <thornton@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 12:07 PM 3/14/2005, Brian Thornton wrote:

> Subject: Desuperheaters to recover heat from refrigerant superheat for
> packaged equipment including WSHPs and GSHPs
>  
> Can anyone share experience with the benefits, downsides, and
> cost-effectiveness of desuperheaters.
>  
> How about anything on analyzing/modeling the energy
> recovery?

Brian,

Our firm, in conjunction with Oak Ridge National Lab, did a comprehensive
study of Fort Polk Military Base in Louisiana a few years back  for
a huge retrofit project involving the conversion of old air-source heat
pumps to geothermal heat pumps in a residential application. 
Included in this project was a detailed modeling effort that included the
impact of desuperheaters.  The study was done in TRNSYS and modeled
the ground heat exchangers, the heat pumps, the water heating systems,
the building etc.  For this application (cooling dominated), the
desuperheaters accounted for a significant percentage of the energy
savings.  The detailed pre-retrofit models were first calibrated
against measured data, the retrofits were then performed in the model,
and then the model was allowed to predict the energy savings.  The
model did an excellent job of predicting the energy consumption for 200+
homes for the post-retrofit condition (within a few percentage
points).  I know that there is a series of papers and reports on the
project from ORNL that have been put on the web for retrieval.  If
you'd like I can track down the link - let me know.

Give me a call if you have any questions.

Jeff Thornton
TESS

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