Testing of tri-partite CO₂ gas cooler prototype for domestic hot water and space heating

The aim of this study was to test a tri-partite gas cooler for CO₂ heat pumps (5-13 kW). The proposed heat
exchanger allowed the simultaneous and separate production of space heating and domestic hot water with an
integrated design, simplifying the heat pump layout and piping requirements. The experimental campaign was
dedicated to the performance of the gas cooler at various operation conditions. These operation modes are: i)
only space heating, ii) only domestic hot water iii) simultaneous production of domestic hot water and space
heating. The results of the test campaigns were analysed in order to determine potential improvements or
required redesign of the heat exchanger. The heat exchanger solution was integrated to novel prototype of trigeneration
CO₂ heat pump system.
Keywords: CO₂, domestic hot water, space heating, pressure drop, heat transfer