The calculations before equipment selection
Industrial heat-pump performance is set by the plant duty. These methods cover the work needed before a manufacturer can make a defensible selection: mapping sources and sinks, calculating the real refrigerant lift, testing direct recovery and estimating performance across the operating year.
- Source-sink mapping
- Temperature-lift calculation
- COP and electricity calculations
- Manufacturer performance maps
- Pinch analysis
- Direct recovery versus heat pumping
The work that protects annual performance
Design-point COP is only one part of the decision. Heat-exchanger approaches, part-load behaviour, control sequencing and the measurement boundary determine whether the operating system delivers the expected result.
- Heat-exchanger approach temperatures
- Part-load performance
- Metering and verification
- Hybrid heat-pump and boiler control
Use the methods as a sequence
Begin with measured streams and direct-recovery opportunities. Define the remaining duty, request performance across its operating envelope and then model controls and metering. The feasibility-study scope should preserve every assumption and unresolved data gap.
A practical order of work
Begin with the process heat balance and source-sink map. Test direct recovery before defining the heat-pump duty. Calculate refrigerant-side lift using exchanger approaches, then request capacity and power across the operating envelope.
Annual modelling follows equipment selection, not the other way round. Apply the performance map to load and temperature bins, add auxiliaries and backup heat and then test controls, tariff exposure and grid demand.
Keep one calculation boundary
Source heat, useful sink heat, compressor power and auxiliary electricity must share timestamps and a documented boundary. Changing the boundary between the feasibility model, supplier quotation and commissioning test makes comparison impossible.
The same discipline applies to avoided fuel. Name the displaced boiler, its efficiency evidence, retained standby operation and any production or weather adjustment.
Turn uncertainty into testable work
An unresolved source temperature needs logging. An uncertain exchanger approach needs a fouling allowance or trial. An unverified compressor point needs a dated supplier selection. Recording the action is more useful than burying uncertainty in a single contingency.
The method pages are designed to support that sequence. They are not a substitute for competent process, mechanical, electrical and safety engineering on the plant.
Sources
Primary and authoritative sources used for the material claims on this page.