[LINK] O/t: New heat pump delivers 400% more heat than energy used

[Stephen Loosley]

New water-based heat pump delivers 400% more heat than the energy it uses

SeaWarm’s heat pump can harness energy from any water body, offering a 
more sustainable solutidon for powering homes and businesses.

By Shubhangi Dua Jun 06, 2024 
https://interestingengineering.com/energy/water-based-heat-pump-more-heat-than


A new type of equipment is being trialed at Edinburgh University to 
sustainably power homes and offices in Edinburgh, Scotland.

This innovation has been developed by SeaWarm, a University of Edinburgh 
Spin-Off Company that harnesses the power of water sources from seas, 
rivers, ponds, and even mine water to provide efficient heating and 
cooling for homes and businesses.

Known as the Water Source Heat Pump (WSHP), the system utilizes thermal 
energy stored in these water bodies.

SeaWarm’s HotTwist tech extracts heat from water

The system features a heat exchanger, such as SeaWarm’s HotTwist 
technology, which is designed to extract heat from the water. The heat 
exchanger collects thermal energy from the water and transfers it to the 
heat pump, where it is compressed to a higher temperature suitable for 
heating purposes.

This system is optimized for stable water temperatures, ensuring 
consistent performance, and can even operate efficiently in extreme 
conditions by utilizing the latent heat of ice fusion, according to the 
company.

As per The Guardian, SeaWarm’s heat pump is currently being tested by 
Edinburgh University in an affordable housing project near the Firth of 
Forth, close to the Forth Bridge, at a gold-mining museum in southwest 
Scotland, and in a commercial greenhouse in Fife.

The report also mentioned that another heat pump system is planned for 
installation this summer at the Scottish Seabird Centre in North 
Berwick, which will also harness energy from the Firth of Forth.

This represents the most recent method of harnessing the natural warmth 
present in the environment to heat buildings, employing technologies 
similar to those used in air and ground source heat pumps.

“While the SeaWarm heat exchanger is coupled to a standard ground source 
heat pump, it collects heat from water bodies instead of the ground,” 
the firm explained.

“Water can store ~2x more thermal energy in a given volume than the 
ground, and ~3400x the thermal energy than air, offering a unique edge 
in efficiency over traditional ground or air source heat pumps.”

Glycol aids converting energy even in colder conditions

The SeaWarm system has a key component – glycol, a liquid used as an 
anti-freeze agent. Glycol circulates through looped tubing within the 
heat exchanger, where it absorbs thermal energy from the water source.

This warmed glycol is then compressed in the heat pump, raising its 
temperature sufficiently to heat water for various purposes, such as 
radiators and baths.

As the glycol travels through the system, it cools down and repeats the 
process, ensuring continuous heat transfer from the water source to the 
building, even in colder conditions.

In fact, the team of scientists from Edinburgh University said that 
their designs called SeaWarm and RiverWarm can also harness energy from 
frozen water.

“It’s about trying out a whole series of constellations, but at the 
heart of it is the same technology,” stated Prof Chris McDermott from 
Edinburgh’s school of geosciences, the lead designer.

Gus Fraser-Harris, a hydrogeologist also working on the design, told The 
Guardian that the system would be more expensive to buy and install than 
an air source heat pump but cheaper than a ground source heat pump when 
its final version goes on sale.

He added that the HotTwist system is said to deliver 350% to 400% more 
heat than the electricity it needs to operate, which is comparable to 
the most efficient air source heat pumps.

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